Picking A President: George Wallace and the 1972 Democratic Race
In the 1972 election, Richard Nixon would eventually achieve a landslide victory over Democrat George McGovern. But as the election approached, Nixon's re-election was far from certain. Nixon had been elected in 1968 on a platform to end American involvement in Vietnam, but four years later, the war raged on. Nixon's strategy of gradually handing over operational control of the war to the South Vietnamese military, a policy known as Vietnamization, was going more slowly than Nixon had planned. Rather than deescalating American involvement, Nixon seemed to be prolonging the conflict by invading Cambodia in 1970. This move led to increased criticism of Nixon in the press and Congress. Protests and disorder on college campuses grew, and the Paris Peace Talks were going nowhere. On the domestic front, the nation was experiencing a sharp recession in 1969 that was shaking investor confidence. Nixon's plan to control inflation with wage and price controls was not meeting its objective. Republican's lost seats in the 1970 midterm elections.
Sensing possible victory a large field of Democratic challengers emerged. The establishment favorite for the Democratic nomination was Ed Muskie, a moderate who performed well as the 1968 Democratic vice-presidential candidate. After Muskie's campaign fell apart following an incident in New Hampshire in which Muskie was the target of an attack in the Manchester Union Leader.
On January 13, 1972, Alabama Governor George Wallace declared himself a Democratic candidate for the party's presidential nomination. He won an early victory on March 14th in the Florida primary, where he finished in first place in every county and won 42 percent of the vote. During the race, Wallace announced that he no longer supported segregation and he declared himself to be a "moderate" on racial issues. However Wallace also expressed his continued opposition to desegregation busing.
For the next four months, Wallace's campaign proceeded extremely well. He won primaries in North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Texas. The Maryland Primary was scheduled for May 16th and Wallace was doing well in polls there. On May 15, 1972 Wallace was in Laurel, Maryland campaigning at the Laurel Shopping Center there. While speaking at the event Wallace was shot five times by Arthur Bremer, an unemployed busboy from Wisconsin. Bremer had been at a Wallace rally in Wheaton, Maryland, earlier that day and two days earlier at a rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
After a short relationship ended, Bremer quit his two jobs. On March 1, 1972, Bremer wrote in his diary, "It is my personal plan to assassinate by pistol either Richard Nixon or George Wallace. I intend to shoot one or the other while he attends a campaign rally for the Wisconsin Primary." The following evening, Bremer attended an organizational meeting for Wallace at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. On March 23, he attended a Wallace dinner and rally at Milwaukee's Red Carpet Airport Inn. Then on April 3, he attended a Wallace victory rally at a Holiday Inn in Milwaukee. On April 10, he traveled from Milwaukee to Ottawa where President Nixon would be. Three days later, Bremer, dressed in a business suit, wearing sunglasses and with a revolver in his pocket, he embarked on an attempt to assassinate Nixon but could not find an opportunity to do so because of tight security. He returned to Milwaukee where he remained for most of the following three weeks.
On May 4, 1972, Bremer concluded in his diary that it would be almost impossible to assassinate Nixon, and declared that it was Wallace's "fate" to be his victim . Bremer note that Wallace "certainly won't be buried with the snobs in Washington. I won't even rate a TV interruption in Russia or/Europe when the news breaks- they never heard of Wallace." Early on the morning of May 9, 1972 Bremer took a ferry to Ludington, Michigan and visited the Wallace campaign headquarters in Silver Lake, Michigan and offered to be a volunteer. He attended a Wallace rally in Lansing. On the afternoon of May 13, Kalamazoo Police received an anonymous phone call saying a suspicious looking person had been sitting in a car near the National Guard Armory. When questioned, Bremer said he was waiting for the Wallace rally to begin and wanted to get a good seat. Bremer slept in his car for the following two nights, as he had done on some nights the previous week. He made his final diary entry on May 14, 1972, when he drove to Maryland.
Bremer turned up in Wheaton, Maryland, for a noon appearance which Wallace made at Wheaton Plaza, during a shopping center rally on May 15, 1972, dressed in dark glasses, wearing a campaign button which said "WALLACE in '72". He strongly applauded Wallace. Hecklers taunted Wallace and two tomatoes were thrown at the candidate during the rally. As a result, Wallace did not shake hands with anyone, denying Bremer the opportunity to carry out his plan.
At a second rally, which took place at Laurel Shopping Center, 16 miles away in Laurel, Maryland. About 1,000 people were present and the crowd was more friendly to Wallace. After he had finished speaking, Wallace shook hands with some of those present, against the advice of his Secret Service guards. At approximately 4:00 p.m., Bremer pushed his way forward, aimed his .38 revolver at Wallace's abdomen and opened fire, emptying the weapon before he could be tackled to the ground. He hit Wallace four times. One bullet lodged in his spinal cord. The other bullets hit Wallace in the abdomen and chest.
The bullet that lodged in Wallace's spinal column left him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. Wallace underwent a five-hour operation that evening. On August 4, 1972, Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison, later reduced to 53 years. Bremer served 35 years and was released on parole on November 9, 2007.
Following the assassination attempt, Wallace was visited at the hospital by Democratic Congresswoman and presidential primary rival Shirley Chisholm, an African-American representative from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. At the time, she was the nation's only African-American female member of Congress. Chisholm was criticized by her constituents for doing so, but she said that she felt visiting Wallace was the humane thing to do. Other people to visit Wallace in hospital were President Nixon, Vice President Spiro Agnew, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern and Ted Kennedy. He also received telegrams from former President Lyndon Johnson, future President Ronald Reagan and Pope Paul VI.
The day after the shooting, Wallace won the primaries in Maryland with 38.67% of the vote. The same day he won the Michigan primary with almost 51% of the vote there. But Wallace ended his campaign. Speaking from his wheelchair, Wallace spoke on July 11, 1972, at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. Wallace later resumed his gubernatorial duties.
It was later discovered that the Nixon campaign's dirty trick squad attempted to plant McGovern campaign literature in Bremer's apartment as a means to drive Wallace supporters away from the Democratic Party and towards the Republicans. In the end, McGovern succeeded in winning the nomination.
Sensing possible victory a large field of Democratic challengers emerged. The establishment favorite for the Democratic nomination was Ed Muskie, a moderate who performed well as the 1968 Democratic vice-presidential candidate. After Muskie's campaign fell apart following an incident in New Hampshire in which Muskie was the target of an attack in the Manchester Union Leader.
On January 13, 1972, Alabama Governor George Wallace declared himself a Democratic candidate for the party's presidential nomination. He won an early victory on March 14th in the Florida primary, where he finished in first place in every county and won 42 percent of the vote. During the race, Wallace announced that he no longer supported segregation and he declared himself to be a "moderate" on racial issues. However Wallace also expressed his continued opposition to desegregation busing.
For the next four months, Wallace's campaign proceeded extremely well. He won primaries in North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Texas. The Maryland Primary was scheduled for May 16th and Wallace was doing well in polls there. On May 15, 1972 Wallace was in Laurel, Maryland campaigning at the Laurel Shopping Center there. While speaking at the event Wallace was shot five times by Arthur Bremer, an unemployed busboy from Wisconsin. Bremer had been at a Wallace rally in Wheaton, Maryland, earlier that day and two days earlier at a rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
After a short relationship ended, Bremer quit his two jobs. On March 1, 1972, Bremer wrote in his diary, "It is my personal plan to assassinate by pistol either Richard Nixon or George Wallace. I intend to shoot one or the other while he attends a campaign rally for the Wisconsin Primary." The following evening, Bremer attended an organizational meeting for Wallace at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. On March 23, he attended a Wallace dinner and rally at Milwaukee's Red Carpet Airport Inn. Then on April 3, he attended a Wallace victory rally at a Holiday Inn in Milwaukee. On April 10, he traveled from Milwaukee to Ottawa where President Nixon would be. Three days later, Bremer, dressed in a business suit, wearing sunglasses and with a revolver in his pocket, he embarked on an attempt to assassinate Nixon but could not find an opportunity to do so because of tight security. He returned to Milwaukee where he remained for most of the following three weeks.
On May 4, 1972, Bremer concluded in his diary that it would be almost impossible to assassinate Nixon, and declared that it was Wallace's "fate" to be his victim . Bremer note that Wallace "certainly won't be buried with the snobs in Washington. I won't even rate a TV interruption in Russia or/Europe when the news breaks- they never heard of Wallace." Early on the morning of May 9, 1972 Bremer took a ferry to Ludington, Michigan and visited the Wallace campaign headquarters in Silver Lake, Michigan and offered to be a volunteer. He attended a Wallace rally in Lansing. On the afternoon of May 13, Kalamazoo Police received an anonymous phone call saying a suspicious looking person had been sitting in a car near the National Guard Armory. When questioned, Bremer said he was waiting for the Wallace rally to begin and wanted to get a good seat. Bremer slept in his car for the following two nights, as he had done on some nights the previous week. He made his final diary entry on May 14, 1972, when he drove to Maryland.
Bremer turned up in Wheaton, Maryland, for a noon appearance which Wallace made at Wheaton Plaza, during a shopping center rally on May 15, 1972, dressed in dark glasses, wearing a campaign button which said "WALLACE in '72". He strongly applauded Wallace. Hecklers taunted Wallace and two tomatoes were thrown at the candidate during the rally. As a result, Wallace did not shake hands with anyone, denying Bremer the opportunity to carry out his plan.
At a second rally, which took place at Laurel Shopping Center, 16 miles away in Laurel, Maryland. About 1,000 people were present and the crowd was more friendly to Wallace. After he had finished speaking, Wallace shook hands with some of those present, against the advice of his Secret Service guards. At approximately 4:00 p.m., Bremer pushed his way forward, aimed his .38 revolver at Wallace's abdomen and opened fire, emptying the weapon before he could be tackled to the ground. He hit Wallace four times. One bullet lodged in his spinal cord. The other bullets hit Wallace in the abdomen and chest.
The bullet that lodged in Wallace's spinal column left him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. Wallace underwent a five-hour operation that evening. On August 4, 1972, Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison, later reduced to 53 years. Bremer served 35 years and was released on parole on November 9, 2007.
Following the assassination attempt, Wallace was visited at the hospital by Democratic Congresswoman and presidential primary rival Shirley Chisholm, an African-American representative from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. At the time, she was the nation's only African-American female member of Congress. Chisholm was criticized by her constituents for doing so, but she said that she felt visiting Wallace was the humane thing to do. Other people to visit Wallace in hospital were President Nixon, Vice President Spiro Agnew, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern and Ted Kennedy. He also received telegrams from former President Lyndon Johnson, future President Ronald Reagan and Pope Paul VI.
The day after the shooting, Wallace won the primaries in Maryland with 38.67% of the vote. The same day he won the Michigan primary with almost 51% of the vote there. But Wallace ended his campaign. Speaking from his wheelchair, Wallace spoke on July 11, 1972, at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. Wallace later resumed his gubernatorial duties.
It was later discovered that the Nixon campaign's dirty trick squad attempted to plant McGovern campaign literature in Bremer's apartment as a means to drive Wallace supporters away from the Democratic Party and towards the Republicans. In the end, McGovern succeeded in winning the nomination.