Question of the Day Answer & Explanation

Advanced Placement-Style United States History
Question of the Day--Answer and Explanation

1972 Democratic Presidential
Candidate George McGovern
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Question 979:

George McGovern overwhelmingly lost the 1972 presidential election because

       (A) he only won one state (Massachusetts) plus the District of Columbia
       (B) his first vice-presidential running mate had received electric-shock treatment for depression
       (C) he endorsed income redistribution and other unsound economic policies
       (D) the Nixon campaign was able to contain leaks of information about the Watergate burglary
       (E) all of the above

Answer:
(E) all of the above

Explanation:

Incumbent President Richard Nixon won 49 states in an electoral college blowout. The White House effectively neutralized questions about Watergate, the scandal that eventually caused Nixon to resign. McGovern's first nominee for vice-president, Thomas Eagleton, bowed out after it was discovered he had undergone electric-shock therapy. McGovern's economic plan failed to excite interest among voters. The tremendous irony of the 1972 election is the margin of Nixon's victory in light of his later political demise.

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