The 1968 Deadlock

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Election 1968 - No Electoral Majority

Nixon: 258
Humphrey: 203
Wallace: 77

*House, Senate, and Gubernatorial Results are unchanged from real life*

Well, 25 days after election day, the recount in Missouri is finally complete, and Humphrey wins the state by 1,455 votes. This brings us to an electoral college deadlock. Wallace now faces a critical few weeks, as it now falls to him to work out a deal with Nixon or Humphrey for platform changes to satisfy him, and then work to ensure that his preferred choice is elected by either faithless electors on December 17th, or the Congress in Early January."

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

December 3, 1968 - Richard Nixon's House:


Nixon: Look, Mr. Wallace, I know what you want, you want me to work out a deal with you on civil rights. But your attempts will be fruitless, because the democratic congress will never elect me. You're better off talking to Humphrey.

Wallace: Convincing congress is not plan A. Plan A is to simply convince 12 of my electors to vote for you instead of me. Alabama loves me and will follow my orders without question, and so will Mississippi. So I can get you elected pretty easily. But I also have the electors to at least potentially put Humphrey in office, if enough are willing to stray from tradition and risk punishment from state government by voting for Humphrey. So it is in your best interest to seek a deal with me.

Nixon: Your electors were chosen by party elites, not by you. Won't they be kicked out of the party if they back anyone besides you on the 17th?

Wallace: Nah. I made it very clear from the beginning to party insiders that my intention was never to win, but to simply run a southern-centered campaign and win enough electoral votes to deadlock the college and use my electors to weaken the civil rights act. I never seriously entertained the idea of the country actually electing me to the office of the presidency when I wasn't in front of a TV Camera or a bunch of potential non-party-elite voters.

Nixon: Well, I do have my doubts about parts of this whole civil rights thing. This whole idea of bussing children to schools miles away from their home just for the sake of racial integration seems silly, and private businesses deserve some leeway in who they serve. But I'd never try to repeal the whole thing. I don't believe that's the right course for the country, and the country wouldn't do it anyways - heck they might try to impeach me over it.

Wallace: Here's what I'm asking. I simply want you to support necessary changes to legislation to ensure that society goes back to being separate. Racial integration is unhealthy and unjust for our society. I agree with the need to ensure that facilities for blacks are equal to those of whites, but the separate but equal doctrine must remain intact in all areas. Businesses should be able to discriminate as long as there is another similar business nearby that allows the race that the first business prohibits. Schools should return to being segregated via constitutional amendment. Interracial marriage should go back to being prohibited by constitutional amendment. Drinking fountains, bathrooms, locker rooms, and so on should all be separated by race. It's the right thing to do to keep this withering society intact.

Nixon: Well, look, Mr. Wallace, the democratic congress wouldn't pass most of that. Why make you a promise I cannot keep?

Wallace: If you refuse to agree to make every effort to enact what I just mentioned, I'm going to talk to Humphrey.

Nixon: He won't be any more receptive. And until you come up with a proposal that can pass the congress, I'm not agreeing to any deal with you.

Wallace: Very well, then. On to Humphrey....

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The Next Day

Humphrey: Mr. Wallace, Mr. Wallace, you know you won't get anywhere with me.

Wallace: Surely even you have qualms about the civil rights act?

Humphrey: Nah, I'll keep things as is. The congress is dominated by my party anyways, so I'll probably get in despite your schemes.

Wallace: Not if I work out something with Nixon between now and when the electors vote on the 17th.

Humphrey: Well, better go back crying to Nixon, Mr. Wallace. I don't want to be president if it means agreeing to do something I don't like, and if I were to break a promise to you, we both know that your entire life savings would go straight to whoever the republicans nominate in '72.

Wallace: Well, obviously.

Humphrey: Then goodbye, and bad luck to you!

Humphrey slammed the door right in Wallace's face, and then watched through a window, laughing, as Wallace slipped on some ice and tumbled down the doorstep stairs, receiving several bruises.

Wallace quickly returned to Nixon. After days of persuading, Nixon finally agreed to at least pursue minor changes in the civil rights act, and perhaps more substantial changes if the congress was obliging, which had no guarantee of being true, even if the 1970 midterms went well for the republican party. In any case, Wallace got his AL and MS electors to vote for Nixon instead, and much to ire of the congress, Nixon received 275 Electoral votes and was sworn in with VP Spiro Agnew on January 20, 1969.

[Captain Chaos]

So, the Nixon 1st term will be the same as OTL and he is reelected in 1972. Whoop de doo.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

So, the Nixon 1st term will be the same as OTL and he is reelected in 1972. Whoop de doo.

Actually, no. Stay tuned.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The Nixon Cabinet - Proposed

Nixon feared Wallace from the beginning. He had a large network of southern donors, and Nixon didn't want all that money being used to help conservative democrats and third party spoiler candidates in the 1970 midterms. Nixon had no intention of meeting Wallace's every wish, but he would be doing enough so that he could go to Wallace and say "I tried" without looking like a complete liar. And it started with his proposed Cabinet, which made several appeals to Wallace and his supporters. It was rumored that Nixon had considered including Wallace in his cabinet, but had decided against it due to that nomination being extremely unlikely to pass the Senate.

Secretary of State: William Rogers, Attorney General during the Eisenhower Administration
Secretary of the Treasury: KFC Founder Colonel Sanders (was considered for VP by Mr. Wallace)
Secretary of Defense: Curtis LeMay, 1968 AIP VP Nominee
Attorney General: Happy Chandler, Former Baseball Commissioner, Former KY Governor, Former KY Senator (was considered for VP by Mr. Wallace)
Postmaster General: Businessman Winton Blount
Secretary of the Interior: FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (was considered for VP by Mr. Wallace)
Secretary of Agriculture: Ezra Taft Benson, Secretary of Agriculture during the Eisenhower Administration (was considered for VP by Mr. Wallace)
Secretary of Commerce: Maurice Stans, Bureau of the Budget Director during the Eisenhower administration
Secretary of Labor: Nelson Bunker Hunt, Oil company executive and major Wallace Donor
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: California Lt. Gov. Robert Finch
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Michigan Gov. George Romney
Secretary of Transportation: Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker
Chief of Staff: Businessman Harry Haldeman
Federal Reserve Director: Economist Arthur Burns

[NeverAgain]

Didn't most of the South hate J. Edgar Hoover? And Colonel Sanders was a Wallace VP Ideal?

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Didn't most of the South hate J. Edgar Hoover? And Colonel Sanders was a Wallace VP Ideal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace_presidential_campaign,_1968#Vice-presidential_selection

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[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Nixon Approval Rating (Inauguration Day):

Approve: 59%
Disapprove: 30%

Confirming the Nixon Cabinet

(Current Senate consists of 57 democrats and 43 republicans )

Initial Confirmation Votes (60 votes needed to surpass filibuster)

Rogers confirmed 71-26
Sanders confirmed 62-37
LeMay not confirmed 52-48
Chandler confirmed 67-31
Blount confirmed 96-3
Hoover confirmed 68-30
Benson confirmed 72-25
Stans confirmed 79-20
Hunt not confirmed 46-54
Finch confirmed 75-23
Romney confirmed 74-26
Baker confirmed 64-35
Haldeman confirmed 70-26
Burns confirmed 78-21

Upon watching the confirmation of LeMay and Hunt fail, Nixon first tried to lecture and insult the senate into confirming them, but both nominations were still filibustered (48 votes to confirm Hunt, 55 votes to confirm LeMay) on a second confirmation vote. Nixon then attempted to compromise. He offered putting up Former Georgia Governor Martin Griffin as Labor Secretary (Griffin had been a temporary Wallace VP for ballot access purposes), but insisted on keeping LeMay in the defense spot.

The senate agreed to bring up the idea. However, even though Griffin was easily confirmed on an 80-19 vote, LeMay came up 4 votes short of passing a filibuster. Nixon considered his options for several days, before deciding to replace LeMay with Illinois Sen. Charles H. Percy, who was confirmed on a 69-28 vote.

Scheduled Special Elections for 1969

June 4 - Special Election to fill Howard Baker's senate seat
June 27 - Special Election to fill Charles H. Percy's senate seat

Nixon Approval Rating (March 17, 1969; Day after Percy was confirmed):

Approve: 55%
Disapprove: 34%

[NeverAgain]

I think the South would be up in arms about Wallace not going with Humphrey.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I think the South would be up in arms about Wallace not going with Humphrey.

Wallace's supporters would want someone that would push for changes to the civil rights act, which Humphrey wasn't willing to do. Of course, Humphrey was in play in places like TN and FL, and he won TX, so those parts are (somewhat) angry. But Wallace was more worried about honoring the wishes of the people that voted for him, not necessarily pleasing everyone in the south.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The Reform Attempts begin

With his cabinet appointments now cleared, Nixon set to keeping his word to Wallace on doing whatever he could to force at least some changes in the civil rights act. With only 42 republicans in the senate (A democratic senator had been appointed by Tennessee's democratic governor to replace Howard Baker until the special election in June), it was going to be tough, but Nixon had faith that it could be done, and he knew that the earlier he started trying, the better chance he had.

On the night of April Fool's Day, Nixon received a call from the senate majority leader:

Nixon: Hello.
Sen. Maj. Leader: Hey, my party has decided to support full repeal of the civil rights act.
Nixon: huh?
Sen. Maj. Leader: April Fools! (hangs up abruptly)

The call was a clue of the hardship that was to come.

On April 4th, Nixon put forth his first proposal. It was quite simple, and only involved banning forced bussing of colored students to schools far away from their home for purposes of integration. It immediately ran into stalls in both the house and senate, as even supporters were afraid of "giving Wallace any satisfaction". Nixon said that it should be done not for the good of George Wallace, but for the good of the american people, but this did not seem to sell immediately either. Over April and May, Nixon placed several other proposals on the table: One for allowing discrimination by private businesses, One returning the decision on interracial marriage to the states by constitutional amendment, and one clarifying that the civil rights act or the voting rights act should not be construed to give non-whites more rights than whites.

The last of those proposals passed fairly easily, but June came to an end with the first three proposals still stalled. Nixon knew he needed to build trust, and decided that he would prepare to quickly propose his plan on getting out of Vietnam, which he had been kicking down the road up until this point.

Tennessee Special Senate Election - June 4, 1969

State House Speaker Bill Jenkins(R) - 52.7%
Press Secretary Hudley Crockett(D) - 45.5%
Others: 1.8%

Illinois Special Senate Election - June 27, 1969

State Rep. W. Robert Blair(R) - 50.9%
Fmr. Sen. Paul Douglas(D) - 48%
Others - 1.1%

Senate Composition is now 57-43 Democratic.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Vietnam

Nixon was originally planning a withdrawal from Vietnam by December 31, 1973, but he knew he needed to do something bold to build real trust among the american people, so he decided instead to propose a withdrawal from Vietnam by July 31, 1971. This was met with surprise by the democratic leaders of the house and senate, they knew the republican party wanted to end the war, but bringing it to an end in just 2 years was a real surprise, and they hesitated to even put it up for a vote. But Nixon rallied hard on the road and in the halls of congress, trying his best to persuade that was nothing that could be done to help South Vietnam that couldn't be done in the next two years, and the more that you kicked it down the road, the more the excuses to stay longer and longer to come. The quicker they did it, the better.

Still, the congress spent July approving a budget for the next year that ended up being similar to the previous year's budget, and after Nixon signed it, they went home for the month of August. The town hall meetings during the august recess seemed, however, to change the attitudes of congress, and on September 8th, Nixon's proposal was finally put up in the house for a vote. To the surprise of many, it passed, 221-214, with votes from all republicans and 29 democrats.

The senate voted on September 26th, and it fell just two votes short of overriding the filibuster. Nixon was quick to prove he could compromise on this issue, and moved the withdrawal date back to January 20, 1972. The house quickly passed this version on October 10th, 229-206. The senate passed it without amendment 3 days later, 61-39.

In the aftermath of these proposals being passed, Nixon's approvals increased, and he made plans to renew his civil rights reform push in November:

Nixon Approval Rating (October 21, 1969):

Approve: 60%
Disapprove: 35%

-----------------------------------------------

1969 Gubernatorial Elections

January 7 - Maryland (To replace Spiro Agnew):

Marvin Mandel(D): 70%
Rogers Morton(R): 17.5%
Others: 12.5%

November 4 - New Jersey

William T. Cahill(R): 60.7%
Robert Meyner(D): 37%
Others: 2.3%

November 4 - Virginia

A. Linwood Holton, Jr. (R): 53.4%
William C. Battle(D): 44.8%
Others: 1.8%

Post-Elections Gubernatorial Composition: 32-18 Republican

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

January 1970 - Nixon Renews Push for Civil Rights weakening

As the congress came back from Christmas Break, they found a new letter from Nixon waiting for them, which said that now that Vietnam had been dealt with, it was time to go back to weakening the civil rights act. The letter made it very clear that as a capitalistic country, america must allow businesses to discriminate based on race. Nixon also wrote that the civil rights act had done more harm than good on balance, that forcing racial integration was generally bad for society, and at the bottom in smaller print, he wrote that his most ambitious objective was a constitutional amendment to return the decision on whether to allow interracial marriage back to the states. In these times, interracial marriage was still unpopular among the electorate despite it being legal everywhere for the over two years that had passed since the 1967 Loving v. Virginia supreme court case.

As expected, Congress did not warm quickly to these proposals. A vote was held on the interracial marriage amendment, but it fell 35 votes short in the house and 12 votes short in the senate of the two thirds majority needed for passage. Everything else Nixon wanted or may have wanted on this issue was simply allowed to die in committee. And so, Nixon went to work trying to insult congress into changing it. He made several speeches on National TV in which he called the current congress pathetic, unreceptive to the people's will, and terrible for the nation. He encouraged and supported protests at the U.S. capitol, frequently complimenting any and all protesters whenever reporters approached him. He said that if Congressional leaders didn't have the votes, they should simply hold a vote on an issue every day, yes, every day, until enough members of congress voted for it "just to get this endless stream to stop".

Nixon's efforts, however, resulted in absolutely nothing except making him look like a fool. The congressional leadership essentially just sat back and laughed at the debacle as Nixon continued to verbally insult them to no avail. The only thing that seemed to be changing was Nixon's approval rating, and it was changing in the wrong direction.

Nixon Approval Rating (June 19, 1970)

Approve: 55%
Disapprove: 41%

Feeling defeated, Nixon called Wallace and fully admitted to his failure. But instead of turning him away, Wallace said that it wasn't Nixon's fault, it was the fault of a congress that didn't care about the will of the people, and Wallace pledged to do everything he could to get Nixon the 26 seats he needed to regain the house, and the 7 seats he needed to regain the senate. Nixon was overwhelmingly grateful, and immediately offered Wallace something in return - if Wallace did above and beyond the minimum of what Nixon offered. He told him "Get me 9 more senate seats, and I'll do what I can to get you on the Supreme Court." Wallace smiled as he heard and thanked Nixon for the offer. As the conversation concluded, Nixon thought he heard the door to his office closing. He hung up and looked at the door, it was fully closed. He opened it and looked up and down the hall. No sign of anyone except a few low-level staff members. One of them seemed have something in their hands, it was too far away for Nixon to see clearly, and he elected not to take a closer look.

But if he were to look at them more closely, he would have noticed the video camera in their hands. Almost his entire conversation with Wallace had been recorded, and now it was only a matter of when the staff member would choose to notify others....

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

July 1, 1970 - Midterm Elections Polling - Senate:

(80% Green == Safe Independent)

Hawaii Poll:

Hiram Fong (R, inc.): 45%
Cecil Heftel (D): 45%

New Mexico Poll:

Joseph Montaya (D, inc.): 47%
Anderson Carter (R): 44%

Texas Poll:

Lloyd Bentsen (D): 48%
George H.W. Bush (R): 45%

Nebraska Poll:

Roman Hruska (R, inc.): 47%
Frank Morrison (D): 43%

Missouri Poll:

Stuart Symington (D, inc.): 45%
John Danforth (R): 44%

Tennessee Poll:

Bill Brock (R): 45%
Al Gore, Sr. (D, inc.): 45%

Florida Poll:

Lawton Chiles (D): 48%
William Cramer (R): 44%

Indiana Poll:

Vance Hartke (D, inc.): 46%
Richard Roudebush (R): 44%

Ohio Poll:

Robert A. Taft (R): 47%
Howard Mentzenbaum (D): 46%

Pennsylvania Poll:

Hugh Scott (R, inc.): 48%
William Sesler (D): 45%

Maryland Poll:

John Glenn Beall, Jr. (R): 46%
Joseph Tydings (D): 45%

New York Poll:

Richard Ottinger (D): 35%
James Buckley (Conservative): 35%
Charles Goodell (R, inc.): 21%

Connecticut Poll:

Lowell Weicker, Jr. (R): 37%
Joseph Duffey (D): 30%
Thomas Dodd (I, inc.): 20%

Wyoming Poll:

Gale McGee (D, inc.): 49%
John Wold (R): 41%

California Poll:

John Tunney (D): 48%
George Murphy (R, inc.): 41%

Nevada Poll:

Howard Cannon (D, inc.): 52%
William Raggio (R): 40%

Utah Poll:

Frank Moss (D, inc.): 52%
Laurence Burton (R): 41%

Minnesota Poll:

Hubert Humphrey (D): 53%
Clark MacGregor (R): 41%

Illinois Poll:

Adlai Stevenson III (D): 51%
Ralph Tyler Smith (R, inc.): 40%

New Jersey Poll:

Harrison Williams (D, inc): 50%
Nelson Gross (R): 40%

Arizona Poll:

Paul Fannin (R, inc): 50%
Sam Grossman (D): 39%

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

July 1, 1970 - Midterm Elections Polling - Governor

Note: George Wallace does not run for AL governor in 1970 in this timeline. The race is safe for the incumbent Albert Brewer (D).

Alaska Poll:

William Egan (D): 47%
Keith Miller (R, inc.): 43%

Idaho Poll:

Cecil Andrus (D): 47%
Don Samuelson (R, inc.): 45%

Nevada Poll:

Mike O'Callaghan (D): 46%
Edward Fike (R): 45%

Arizona Poll:

Jack Richard Williams (R, inc.): 47%
Raul Hector Castro (D): 46%

New Mexico Poll:

Bruce King (D): 46%
Pete Dominici (R): 43%

Texas Poll:

Preston Smith (D, inc.): 48%
Paul Eggers (R): 44%

Oklahoma Poll:

Dewey Bartlett (R, inc): 47%
David Hall (D): 44%

Iowa Poll:

Robert Ray (R, inc): 48%
Robert Fulton (D): 45%

Michigan Poll:

William Milliken (R, inc.): 46%
Sander Levin (D): 46%

Rhode Island Poll:

Frank Licht (D, inc.): 46%
Herbert DeSimone (R): 45%

New Hampshire Poll:

Walter Peterson, Jr. (R, inc.): 47%
Roger Crowley (D): 43%

Maine Poll:

Kenneth Curtis (D, inc.): 47%
James Erwin (R): 47%

California Poll:

Ronald Reagan (R, inc.): 48%
Jesse Unruh (D): 40%

Colorado Poll:

John Arthur Love (R, inc.): 48%
Mark Hogan (D): 41%

Tennessee Poll:

Winfield Dunn (R): 48%
John Hooker (D): 41%

Connecticut Poll:

Thomas Joseph Meskill (R): 47%
Emilio Daddario (D): 40%

Kansas Poll:

Robert Docking (D, inc.): 49%
Kent Frizzle (R): 40%

Nebraska Poll:

J. James Exon (D): 48%
Norbert Tiemann (R, inc.): 40%

South Dakota Poll:

Richard Kneip (D): 48%
Frank Farrar (R, inc.): 40%

Minnesota Poll:

Wendell Anderson (D): 49%
Douglas Head (R): 41%

Wisconsin Poll:

Patrick Lucey (D): 48%
Jack Olson (R): 42%

South Carolina Poll:

John West (D): 48%
Albert Watson (R): 41%

Ohio Poll:

John Gilligan (D): 50%
Roger Cloud (R): 40%

Pennsylvania Poll:

Milton Shapp (D): 52%
Raymond Broderick (R): 40%

Massachusetts Poll:

Francis Sargent (R, inc.): 53%
Kevin White (D): 41%

New York Poll:

Nelson Rockefeller (R, inc.): 49%
Arthur Goldberg (D): 38%

Oregon Poll:

Tom McCall (R, inc.): 51%
Robert Straub (D): 40%

[NeverAgain]

You just couldn't have let Humphrey win. Meanie. In all seriousness, great timeline. Excited to see how this expands.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Late July, 1970 - Wallace Role Revealed

The recorded call between Nixon and Wallace is released to the media on Sunday, July 19th. News stations begin reporting on it that very evening, and the next morning, it goes full stream. Every news organization is intensely talking about Nixon's offer to appoint Wallace to the supreme court. At first, the white house simply ignores the allegations, saying that Nixon refuses to comment. However, this is questioned more and more, and Nixon responds by officially denying the call ever happened. He simply denies it again and again and again. The problem, of course, is that nobody believes him, and his approval ratings tip down to 53-43% by August 1. Knowing he has to do something quickly, Nixon first decides to say it was a fabricated call created by the recording staff member, and immediately fires the recording staff member. This seems to be believed, until Wallace is seen campaigning for the republican senate candidates in Wyoming, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, where segregation is still looked upon favorably. Then Nixon says Wallace is simply doing this out of a desire to help the republican party, but given Wallace's past affiliation with the democratic party, this isn't really believed either. Nixon is finally forced to admit the allegations of his offer to Wallace are true, and the backlash is terrible. Even some republicans say that the offer to appoint Wallace to the supreme court was going too far and that Nixon is nothing but a puppet for Wallace. On September 5th, just after returning from august recess, the house passed articles of impeachment against Nixon based on his entry into bribery with Wallace and his lying during the aftermath, on a surprisingly wide 287-148 vote. All but 5 democrats voted in favor, along with 49 republicans.

Nixon refuses to resign, and an impeachment trial by the senate was scheduled for Monday, September 21st, 1970.

Nixon Approval Rating (September 20th, 1970)

Disapprove: 51%
Approve: 41%

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

September 21st, 1970 - The Nixon Impeachment Trial

Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States: "Good Morning (*bangs gavel*). Today, we decide the fate of President Nixon. (pauses briefly)

Random, Nationally Unknown Senator: Kick Nixon out! Kick Nixon out!

Burger: There will nothing but civility in the senate chamber today! (*bangs gavel*). Now, first we shall review the charges against Nixon. (unrolls scroll) There are two charges here. The first charge is that Nixon engaged in the illegal action of Bribery, by making an offer to 1968 American Independence Party Presidential Nominee George Wallace that if Wallace campaigned for republicans in the 1970 Senate Elections and the Republicans had a net gain of 9 or more senate seats during that election, that Wallace would be nominated to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Nixon is also charged with the illegal act of perjury, as when confronted about the bribery, he first claimed a staff member had fabricated the released recording of the call between Nixon and Wallace, and only admitted that the call had occurred after weeks of pressure from officials across the country. Now, Nixon shall be offered a chance to deny that these actions occurred. Nixon, do you agree that the actions of Bribery and Perjury I just specified occurred?

Nixon: Yes, your honor, but...

Burger (Interrupting): Do you agree that these actions are grounds for impeachment?

Nixon: No, your honor, these actions are not grounds for impeachment. Simple lying happens all the time in politics, and since there was no official investigation sanctioned by a committee of the house of representatives or of the Senate at the time that it occurred, it does not fall under the definition of Perjury, your honor, no matter how much the democratic party, parts of my own party, or uninformed americans in general may think that it does or may want it to fall under said definition. Futhermore, the charges of Bribery are also not grounds for impeachment in any way, shape, or form. I merely suggested that my party gaining 9 more senate seats with Wallace as an advocate might convince me to reward him in some way, I did not, again, I did not say that I promised Wallace anything. Furthermore, nominations are merely requests, nothing more than that, for the senate has the freedom to reject a nomination. So, since the senate would have to carry out any such offer, not me, it is not really much of a bribe, and is definitively not grounds for impeachment. Furthermore, this was just one occurrence and I apologize to the american people for this situation and any emotional harm it may have caused anyone, and although this action is again, not grounds for impeachment, I promise that I won't do anything like it ever again during my time as president of this great nation.

Burger: Now, if anyone would like to make a statement in support of impeaching President Nixon, please raise your hand and step forward in the order indicated by me. Four Minutes Maximum per person.

*Over the next 100 minutes, a collection of 34 congressmen/women and governors say a whole bunch about how Nixon has violated the trust of the nation and how his defense of why his actions are not impeachment territory are just silly.*

Burger: Now, if anyone would like to make a statement in opposition to impeaching President Nixon, please raise your hand and step forward in the order indicated by me. Again, Four minutes maximum per person.

*Notably, the list of people making statements in agreement with Nixon and asking the senate to see that this incident is just a one-off occurrence and is not representative of Nixon's character only takes up another 65 minutes, 35 minutes shorter than the opposition took*

Burger: Last chance for comments from either side... (silence).... Very well then, the senate shall now vote. Under the constitution of this country, at least 67 of the 100 senators of the united states must vote 'AYE', in favor of the impeachment of Nixon, for the impeachment to actually happen. We shall pause for 10 minutes to allow the senators time to consider their positions, and then the voting will begin............

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Burger: Time for consideration has now passed, and we shall now vote on whether to impeach Nixon. Each Senator shall vote either Aye, to remove Nixon from office immediately, or Nay, to drop all charges and keep Nixon in office. If Nixon is kicked out of office, a proper court of law may choose to render further consequences at a later time. In order for Nixon to be kicked out of office, at least 67 senators must vote Aye. Now, we'll go in order of seniority. So, first, Senator Russell of Georgia.

(a running total (ayes-nays) of all votes is shown after each senator's vote.)

Russell: Aye! (1-0)

Burger: Senator Ellender of Louisiana

Ellender: Aye! (2-0)

Burger: Senator Aiken of Vermont

Aiken: Aye! (3-0)

Burger: Senator Eastland of Mississippi

Eastland: Aye! (4-0)

Burger: Senator McClellan of Arkansas

McClellan: Aye! (5-0)

Burger: Senator Magnuson of Washington

Magnuson: Aye! (6-0)

Burger: Senator Fulbright of Arkansas

Fulbright: Aye! (7-0)

Burger: Senator Young of North Dakota

Young: Nay! (7-1)

Burger: Senator Holland of Florida

Holland: Aye! (8-1)

Burger: Senator Sparkman of Alabama

Sparkman: Nay! (8-2)

Burger: Senator Williams of Delaware

Williams: Aye! (9-2)

Burger: Senator Stennis of Mississippi

Stennis: Nay! (9-3)

Burger: Senator Mundt of South Dakota

Mundt: Nay! (9-4)

Burger: Senator Long of Louisiana

Long: Aye! (10-4)

Burger: Senator Smith of Maine

Smith: Aye! (11-4)

Burger: Senator Anderson of New Mexico

Anderson: Aye! (12-4)

Burger: Senator Pastore of Rhode Island

Pastore: Aye! (13-4)

Burger: Senator Bennett of Utah

Bennett: Nay! (13-5)

Burger: Senator Gore, Sr. of Tennessee

Gore, Sr.: Aye! (14-5)

Burger: Senator Jackson of Washington

Jackson: Aye! (15-5)

Burger: Senator Mansfield of Montana

Mansfield: Aye! (16-5)

Burger: Senator Symington of Missouri

Symington: Aye! (17-5)

Burger: Senator Ervin of North Carolina

Ervin: Aye! (18-5)

Burger: Senator Cotton of New Hampshire

Cotton: Nay! (18-6)

Burger: Senator Hruska of Nebraska

Hruska: Nay! (18-7)

Burger: Senator Bible of Nevada

Bible: Aye! (19-7)

Burger: Senator Curtis of Nebraska

Curtis: Nay! (19-8)

Burger: Senator Case of New Jersey

Case: Nay! (19-9)

Burger: Senator Allott of Colorado

Allott: Nay! (19-10)

Burger: Senator Cooper of Kentucky

Cooper: Nay! (19-11)

Burger: Senator Thurmond of South Carolina

Thurmond: Nay! (19-12)

Burger: Senator Talmadge of Georgia

Talmadge: Aye! (20-12)

Burger: Senator Church of Idaho

Church: Aye! (21-12)

Burger: Senator Javits of New York

Javits: Aye! (22-12)

Burger: Senator Yarborough of Texas

Yarborough: Aye! (23-12)

Burger: Senator Proxmire of Wisconsin

Proxmire: Aye! (24-12)

Burger: Senator Jordan of North Carolina

Jordan: Aye! (25-12)

Burger: Senator Randolph of West Virginia

Randolph: Aye! (26-12)

Burger: Senator Scott of Pennsylvania

Scott: Nay! (26-13)

Burger: Senator McCarthy of Minnesota

McCarthy: Aye! (27-13)

Burger: Senator Young of Ohio

Young: Aye! (28-13)

Burger: Senator Prouty of Vermont

Prouty: Aye! (29-13)

Burger: Senator Byrd of West Virginia

Byrd: Aye! (30-13)

Burger: Senator Williams of New Jersey

Williams: Aye! (31-13)

Burger: Senator Dodd of Connecticut

Dodd: Aye! (32-13)

Burger: Senator Muskie of Maine

Muskie: Aye! (33-13)

Burger: Senator Hart of Michigan

Hart: Aye! (34-13)

Burger: Senator Hartke of Indiana

Hartke: Aye! (35-13)

Burger: Senator Moss of Utah

Moss: Nay! (35-14)

Burger: Senator McGee of Wyoming

McGee: Aye! (36-14)

Burger: Senator Cannon of Nevada

Cannon: Aye! (37-14)

Burger: Senator Fong of Hawaii

Fong: Aye! (38-14)

Burger: Senator Burdick of North Dakota

Burdick: Aye! (39-14)

Burger: Senator Metcalf of Montana

Metcalf: Aye! (40-14)

Burger: Senator Boggs of Delaware

Boggs: Nay! (40-15)

Burger: Senator Miller of Iowa

Miller: Nay! (40-16)

Burger: Senator Pell of Rhode Island

Pell: Aye! (41-16)

Burger: Senator Tower of Texas

Tower: Nay! (41-17)

Burger: Senator Pearson of Kansas

Pearson: Nay! (41-18)

Burger: Senator Jordan of Idaho

Jordan: Nay! (41-19)

Burger: Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts

Kennedy: Aye! (42-19)

Burger: Senator McIntyre of New Hampshire

McIntyre: Aye! (43-19)

Burger: Senator Ribicoff of Connecticut

Ribicoff: Aye! (44-19)

Burger: Senator McGovern of South Dakota

McGovern: Aye! (45-19)

Burger: Senator Inouye of Hawaii

Inouye: Aye! (46-19)

Burger: Senator Dominick of Colorado

Dominick: Nay! (46-20)

Burger: Senator Bayh of Indiana

Bayh: Aye! (47-20)

Burger: Senator Nelson of Wisconsin

Nelson: Aye! (48-20)

Burger: Senator Montoya of New Mexico

Montoya: Aye! (49-20)

Burger: Senator Harris of Oklahoma

Harris: Nay! (49-21)

Burger: Senator Mondale of Minnesota

Mondale: Aye! (50-21)

Burger: Senator Murphy of California

Murphy: Nay! (50-22)

Burger: Senator Tydings of Maryland

Tydings: Aye! (51-22)

Burger: Senator Fannin of Arizona

Fannin: Nay! (51-23)

Burger: Senator Byrd of Virginia

Byrd: Aye! (52-23)

Burger: Senator Griffin of Michigan

Griffin: Nay! (52-24)

Burger: Senator Hollings of South Carolina

Hollings: Aye! (53-24)

Burger: Senator Spong of Virginia

Spong: Aye! (54-24)

Burger: Senator Hansen of Wyoming

Hansen: Nay! (54-25)

Burger: Senator Brooke of Massachusetts

Brooke: Nay! (54-26)

Burger: Senator Hatfield of Oregon

Hatfield: Nay! (54-27)

Burger: Senator Goodell of New York

Goodell: Nay! (54-28)

Burger: Senator Cook of Kentucky

Cook: Nay! (54-29)

Burger: Senator Stevens of Alaska

Stevens: Nay! (54-30)

Burger: Senator Eagleton of Missouri

Eagleton: Aye! (55-30)

Burger: Senator Goldwater of Arizona

Goldwater: Nay! (55-31)

Burger: Senator Schweiker of Pennslyvania

Schweiker: Nay! (55-32)

Burger: Senator Mathias of Maryland

Mathias: Aye! (56-32)

Burger: Senator Dole of Kansas

Dole: Aye! (57-32)

(Expressions of Shock are displayed throughout the room)

Burger: Senator Gurney of Florida

Gurney: Nay! (57-33)

Burger: Senator Hughes of Iowa

Hughes: Aye! (58-33)

Burger: Senator Bellmon of Oklahoma

Bellmon: Nay! (58-34)

Burger: Senator Cranston of California

Cranston: Aye! (59-34)

Burger: Senator Saxbe of Ohio

Saxbe: Nay! (59-35)

Burger: Senator Allen of Alabama

Allen: Aye! (60-35)

Burger: Senator Packwood of Oregon

Packwood: Nay! (60-36)

Burger: Senator Gravel of Alaska

Gravel: Aye! (61-36)

Burger: Senator Jenkins of Tennessee

Jenkins: Nay! (61-37)

Burger: Senator Blair of Illinois

Blair: Aye! (62-37)

Burger: Senator Smith of Illinois

Smith: Nay! (62-38)

Burger: So, we have 62 votes to impeach Nixon, and 38 votes to keep him in office. The needed 2/3 majority for impeachment has not been reached. All charges against Nixon are dropped, and he may remain our Nation's President.

-------------------------

Nixon spent the night celebrating in relief. In the end, despite all the pundits declaring him dead, he had convinced just enough people that his actions simply did not merit impeachment.

Of course, Nixon's narrow evasion of impeachment did nothing to help his relations with congress, in fact, it made them worse. And his approval rating, which ticked down from 41% before the trial to 39% after it, just plain sucked. The upcoming midterms looked tough....

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

1970 Midterms - Final Polling

Governor

Senate

Note: After the impeachment proceedings, Nixon withdrew his offer to Wallace, and Wallace left the campaign trail.

Nixon Approval Rating (11/2/70):

Disapprove: 54%
Approve: 40%

-----------------------------------------------------

Due to lack of knowledge and information about ~1970 counting biases, poll closing times, etc., I will NOT be doing live election night coverage for this timeline. I will post exact results for all states, and close races will have short blog-style pieces about them.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Final Gubernatorial Results

Alabama

George Wallace surprised the world on October 1st by announcing that he would mount a write-in campaign for Governor. However, he refused to campaign for the seat, saying he was too busy. In the end, however, he still placed second and held the incumbent to just 51% of the vote:

Albert Brewer(D, inc.): 50.7%
George Wallace (Write-In): 29.5%
John L. Cashin, Jr. (National Democratic Party of Alabama): 10.3%
A.C. Shelton (I): 6.3%
Jerome B. Couch (Prohibition): 2.3%
Menter G. Walker (I): 0.6%
John Watts (Whig): 0.3%

D Hold!

Alaska

Republicans saw a path here when Gov. Keith Miller led in early 1970 polling. But as Nixon's popularity faded, so did Miller's standing, and he lost by a 9 point margin.

William Egan (D): 54%
Keith Miller (R, inc.): 45%
Ralph M. Anderson (American Independent): 1%

D Pickup!

Arizona

In the land of Goldwater, it looked like Gov. Jack Willams would have a tough race, but would ultimately obtain a narrow victory. However, this proved not be the case after Mr. Williams came out in favor of keeping Nixon as President. He was hammered on it hard, and he refused to back down. The Democratic Nominee won by a 6 point margin even as the senate race went the other way by even more.

Raul Castro (D): 53.1%
Jack Williams (R, inc.): 46.9%

D Pickup!

Arkansas

In the most obvious democratic pickup of the night, the deeply unpopular incumbent was defeated by a 35 point margin.

Dale Bumpers (D): 64.5%
Winthrop Rockefeller (R, inc.): 29.4%
Walter Carruth (American): 5.1%

D Pickup!

California

Ronald Reagan was a highly popular governor when 1970 began, and few expected Jesse Unruh (D) to be anything more than a token challenger who would hit the dem floor of 40% or so and not much more. But Unruh proved to be a stronger than expected challenger, especially after Reagan refused to condemn Nixon's actions. But in the end, Reagan's popularity was simply too much as he earned a narrower than expected victory.

Ronald Reagan (R, inc): 52.4%
Jesse Unruh (D): 46.6%
Ricardo Romo (Peace and Freedom): 0.7%
William K. Shearer (American Independent): 0.3%

R Hold!

Colorado

But, the most surprising pickup would come from the state of Colorado. Gov. John Love was not expected to lose even three months before the election, but after he was reported to have agreed that Nixon's actions were a good thing for the country, it harmed him more and more the more he denied it, and by election day he was polling 4 points behind. But at the polling booth, the voters simply refused to pull the lever for him, and he lost by a stunning 7 point margin.

Mark Hogan (D): 52%
John Arthur Love (R, inc.): 45%
Albert Gurule (La Raza Unida): 2.5%
Walter Plankton (American Independent): 0.3%
James Lauderdale (Socialist Workers): 0.2%

D Pickup!

Connecticut

In a rare bright spot for republicans, Emilio Daddario (D) proved to be an uninspiring candidate incapable of turning out the vote. The wave got him close, but it couldn't quite do it as the republicans picked up the open seat.

Thomas Meskill (R): 51.2%
Emilio Daddario (D): 48.8%

R Pickup!

Florida

In another obvious pickup, the democratic challenger easily defeated the incumbent with nearly 60% of the vote.

Reubin Askew (D): 59.7%
Claude Kirk, Jr. (R, inc.): 40.3%

D Pickup!

Georgia - Carter 63, Suit 37 D Hold!
Hawaii - Burns 60, King 40 D Hold!

Idaho

Despite the state's usual republican tilt, the democrats eked out a narrow victory here, despite a constant republican effort to paint them as, you guessed it, tax and spend liberals.

Cecil Andrus (D): 51.8%
Don Samuelson (R, inc.): 48.2%

D Pickup!

Iowa

The wave was so large that not even relatively popular Gov. Ray could survive. He ran a strong campaign, even saying that Nixon's actions were "not necessarily the best thing to do", but in the end, he could simply not turnout his core base in enough force to save him, and he lost by less than .5% after several weeks of recounting.

Robert Fulton (D): 49.3%
Robert Ray (R, inc.): 49%
Robert Dilley (American Independent): 1.7%

D Pickup!

Kansas - Docking 56, Frizzell 43 D Hold!

Maine

The wave had little trouble reelecting Gov. Curtis, despite a strong challenge from James Erwin.

Kenneth Curtis (D, inc.): 54%
James Erwin (R): 46%

D Hold!

Maryland - Mandel 67, Blair 32 D Hold!
Massachusetts - Sargent 55, White 44 R Hold!

Michigan

Another governor who refused to condemn Nixon, Gov. Milliken lost by a 6 point margin.

Sander Levin (D): 52.8%
William Milliken (R, inc.): 46.4%
James L. McCormick (American Independent): 0.6%
George Bouse (Socialist Workers): 0.1%
James Horvath (Socialist Labor): 0.1%

D Pickup!

Minnesota

After Gov. LeVander (R) retired, Republicans knew that holding this seat would be very hard, and the wave verified that fact. Their nominee strongly condemned Nixon and ran plenty of attack ads, but it was nowhere near enough.

Wendell Anderson (D): 54%
Douglas Head (R): 45.7%
Karl H. Heck (Industrial Government): 0.2%
Jack O. Kirkham (Independent Write-In): 0.1%

D Pickup!

Nebraska

In another easy pickup for the democratic party, Norbert Tiemann (R) never really had a prayer.

J. James Exon (D): 54.5%
Norbert Tiemann (R, inc.): 43.1%
Albert Walsh (American): 2.4%

D Pickup!

Nevada

From the moment Paul Laxalt retired, this state was a tough one for the republicans to hold, and the wave only made things worse.

Mike O'Callaghan (D): 49.8%
Edward Fike (R): 43%
Charles E. Springer (Independent): 4.4%
Daniel Hansen (American Independent): 2.4%

D Pickup!

New Hampshire

Another race that the republicans might have won had it been a better year for them, Roger Crowley (D) pulled out a narrow but very welcoming victory.

Roger Crowley (D): 47%
Walter Peterson, Jr. (R, inc.): 45%
Medrim Thomson, Jr. (American): 8%

D Pickup!

New Mexico

Pete Dominci was a strong recruit for republicans, and many early predictions had him picking up the seat. But the wave was not kind to rising stars in the republican party, and this race was certainly no exception.

Bruce King (D): 52.5%
Pete Dominci (R): 46.1%
John Salazar (Independent New Mexico): 1%
Wilfredo Sedillo (People's Constitution): 0.4%

D Pickup!

New York - Rockefeller 53, Goldberg 40 R Hold!

Ohio

In another obvious pickup, democrats enjoyed an easy victory.

John Gilligan (D): 57.5%
Roger Cloud (R): 42%
Edward Lawton (American Independent): 0.3%
Joseph Princin (Socialist Labor): 0.2%

D Pickup!

Oklahoma

Despite the state's republican tilt, southern location, and strong support for segregation, democrats enjoyed another victory in a seat they will have a very tough time holding in 1974.

David Hall (D): 50%
Dewey F. Bartlett (R, inc.): 48%
Reuel Little (American): 2%

D Pickup!

Oregon

This race was closer than expected due to the wave, but the popular governor still enjoyed a comfortable win.

Tom McCall (R, inc): 53%
Robert Straub (D): 46%
Doug Yeager (Independent Write-In): 1%

R Hold!

Pennsylvania

Another obvious pickup that was never really in doubt.

Milton Shapp (D): 57%
Raymond Broderick (R): 40%
Andrew J. Watson (Constitution): 2%
Francis McGreever (American Independent): 0.6%
George S. Taylor (Socialist Labor): 0.2%
Clarissa Cain (Consumer): 0.1%
Pearl Chertov (Socialist Workers): 0.1%

D Pickup!

Rhode Island

Republicans saw a chance here when the fairly unpopular democratic governor was shown slightly trailing in several early polls. But in the end, the political lean of the state and the national climate allowed the democrats to win by a convincing margin.

Frank Licht (D, inc.): 54%
Herbert DeSimone (R): 45.6%
John Powers (Socialist Workers): 0.4%

D Hold!

South Carolina - West 55, Watson 43 D Hold!

South Dakota

The Wave made quick work of any republican hopes of holding onto this seat.

Richard F. Kneip (D): 54.5%
Frank Farrar (R, inc.): 45.5%

D Pickup!

Tennessee

In the 2nd and final republican pickup of the night, the state's love for segregation and everything George Wallace proved to be too much for the democrats to overcome as the republicans picked up the open seat in a narrower than expected victory.

Winfield Dunn (R): 50.5%
John Jay Hooker (D): 47%
Douglas Heinsohn (American): 2.5%

R Pickup!

Texas - Smith 55, Eggers 44 D Hold!
Vermont - Davis 57, O'Brian 43 R Hold!

Wisconsin

In the night's final democratic pickup, Wisconsin was glad to hand an open seat to a democrat who ran an extremely effective campaign over a republican who ran a rather inept and lazy one.

Patrick Lucey(D): 55.1%
Jack B. Olson (R): 44%
Leo McDonald (American): 0.6%
Georgia Cozzini (I): 0.1%
Samuel Hunt (I): 0.1%
Myrtle Kastner (I): 0.1%

D Pickup!

Wyoming - Hathaway 60, Rooney 40 R Hold!

------------------------

Final Count:

Democrats: 34 Governorships (+16)
Republicans: 16 Governorships (-16)

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Final Senate Results

Alaska - Stevens 57, Kay 43 R Hold!

Arizona

Republicans did not expect to have to spend a dime to save this seat when the cycle began, but in the end, the wave made them worry and a few dollars ultimately got thrown here. However, in the end the popular incumbent was re-elected by an eight point margin.

Paul Fannin (R, inc.): 53.9%
Sam Grossman (D): 46.1%

R Hold!

California

From the start, it was clear that this seat could not simply be saved by Reagan coattails, and the wave made it just impossible. Republicans publicly conceded the race 2 weeks before the election, and they lost the seat convincingly.

John Tunney (D): 55.7%
George Murphy (R, inc.): 42%
Robert Scheer (Peace and Freedom): 1.3%
Charles Ripley (American Independent): 1%

D Pickup!

Connecticut

The magic of three-way races prevailed here for the republican party, as they picked up a seat over the incumbent senator, who had lost renomination and was running as an independent, and the actual democratic nominee. The margin was small, yes, but it was still a very welcome pickup.

Lowell Weicker, Jr. (R): 39.7%
Joseph Duffey (D): 38.2%
Thomas Dodd (I, inc.): 22.1%

R Pickup!

Delaware - Roth 58, Zimmerman 42 R Hold!
Florida - Chiles 56, Cramer 44 D Hold!

Hawaii

Perhaps the race that went against the wave the most though, was the race in the state of Hawaii. Hiram Fong was one of the most endangered senators of the country, but he campaigned hard on his vote to impeach Nixon and said publicly 11 times that Nixon should resign despite the results of the impeachment vote. In the end, the wave (and the political lean of the state) almost got him, but Fong survived by 697 votes.

Hiram Fong (R, inc.): 50.03%
Cecil Heftel (D): 49.97%

R Hold!

Illinois

This, the 2nd democratic pickup of the night, was obvious and expected from the beginning.

Adlai Stevenson III (D): 59.9%
Ralph Tyler Smith (R, inc.): 40.1%

D Pickup!

Indiana

Vance Hartke was considered an extremely vulnerable senator due to the state's political lean, but the wave saved him by a comfortable margin.

Vance Hartke (D, inc.): 53.5%
Richard RoudeBush (R): 46.5%

D Hold!

Maine - Muskie 64, Bishop 36 D Hold!

Maryland

Joseph Tydings, considered highly vulnerable when the year began, was another senator who was saved by the wave.

Joseph Tydings (D, inc.): 52.2%
John Beall, Jr. (R): 47.8%

D Hold!

Massachusetts - Kennedy 65, Spaulding 35 D Hold!
Michigan - Hart 70, Romney 30 D Hold!
Minnesota - Humphrey 60, MacGregor 40 D Hold!
Mississippi - Stennis 90, Thompson 10 D Hold!

Missouri

The Republicans also started Sen. Symington, recruiting a strong challenger and working extremely hard. Many polls showed their challenger closing the gap in the final days despite the wave, but in the end, it was simply the wrong year as Symington won by five.

Stuart Symington (D, inc.): 51.7%
John Danforth (R): 46.4%
Gene Chapman (American Independent): 1.1%
E. J. DiGirolamo (I): 0.9%

D Hold!

Montana - Mansfield 62, Wallace 38 D Hold!

Nebraska

But the democrats biggest victory came in the typically republican state of Nebraska. The polls here had the incumbent senator up by 2-4 in the closing days, but in the end the democratic candidate won by just under 1,000 votes. This is a real sign of the democratic wave.

Frank Morrison (D): 50.1%
Roman Huruska (R, inc.): 49.9%

D Pickup!

Nevada - Cannon 60, Raggio 40 D Hold!
New Jersey - Williams 57, Gross 43 D Hold!

New Mexico

Republicans saw a chance here when the democratic candidate trailed in early polls, and the late polls were closer than expected as well. But in the end, the republican candidate's strong support for Nixon easily saved the incumbent Senator.

Joseph Montoya (D, inc.): 54.3%
Anderson Carter (R): 45.7%

D Hold!

New York

The Republicans knew they had no chance of saving their deeply unpopular incumbent, but they hoped to keep the seat conservative through a victory by Mr. Buckley, the nominee of the conservative party. But in the end, the wave made quick work of this possibility.

Richard Ottinger (D): 43.7%
James Buckley (Conservative): 36%
Charles Goodell (R, inc.): 20.3%

D Pickup!

North Dakota - Burdick 64, Kleppe 36 D Hold!

Ohio

Republicans really felt they had a strong chance of picking up this open seat, and they spent more money on this than any other race. For much of the night, it looked like they had won the race, but as the final numbers from Cuyahoga County came in, the wave kept the open seat with the democrats by .4%.

Howard Mentzenbaum (D): 50.2%
Robert Taft, Jr. (R): 49.8%

D Hold!

Pennsylvania

Republicans breathed a sigh of relief when they were projected to hold this seat. In the end, the wave was simply not big enough to defeat the incumbent senator, although his margin was quite small and left top democratic strategists yelling at each other about the loss for weeks after it happened.

Hugh Scott (R, inc.): 51.4%
William Sesler (D): 48.6%

R Hold!

Rhode Island - Pastore 69, McLaughlin 31 D Hold!

Tennessee

In the final republican pickup of the night, the state's love for segregation and the republican party just kept the democrats from winning anything. Gore, Sr. tried every attack he could think of and brought many surrogates in to campaign for him, but it just wasn't enough.

Bill Brock (R): 50.3%
Al Gore, Sr. (D, inc.): 49.7%

R Pickup!

Texas

Despite a top recruit by republicans and a strong effort to pickup the seat, the state reaffirmed it's '68 support for Humphrey as it elected Lloyd Bentsen to the open seat by a wider margin than expected.

Lloyd Bentsen (D): 54.4%
George H.W. Bush (R): 45.6%

D Hold!

Utah - Moss 57, Burton 42 D Hold!
Vermont - Prouty 59, Hoff 41 R Hold!
Virginia - Byrd 54, Rawlings 30, Garland 16 I/D Hold!
Washington - Jackson 84, Elicker 13 D Hold!
West Virginia - Byrd 80, Dodson 20 D Hold!
Wisconsin - Proxmire 75, Erickson 25 D Hold!
Wyoming - McGee 56, Wold 44 D Hold!


------------------------

Final Count:

Democrats: 59 (+2)
Republicans: 41 (-2)

House of Representatives Final Count:

Democrats: 261 (+18)
Republicans: 174 (-18)

-----------

The Republican Party. Losing 18 house seats. 16 Gubernatorial seats. But saved from a democratic filibuster-proof senate majority by 697 votes in Hawaii. What is the path forward for the party....

To Be Continued

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Lame Duck '70: The Pressure Mounts

Nixon's reaction to the election results was to declare a victory for the republican party. He stood in complete denial of the results. He pointed to the few republican pickups that had occured and the fact that the democrats were still short of 60 senate seats as evidence of his claim. He celebrated the "apparent" victory with a renewed push for civil rights act modifications. However, the house and senate leaders simply laughed at him and refused to even consider putting anything up for a vote. Meanwhile, most of the rest of Nixon's party was treating the victory of Hiram Fong as a sign to the republican party: Reject Nixon fully and truly, and you'll do well again.

Many who had stood with Nixon, been indifferent, or said the country had made its decision with the impeachment vote and should stick with it as punishment despite the consequences, were now saying that Nixon needed to resign for the sake of the republican party. The election had been a wake up call to everyone except Nixon and his most fervent loyalists, and it was clear that if Nixon didn't resign, he would then receive a powerful primary challenger in the 1972 presidential primaries.

However, Nixon refused to resign week after week after week, insisting that his actions were in the right and that the voters had validated them in the election by not giving Democrats a 60th senate seat. His Approval rating went down to 35-60 by late december, but this didn't seem to bother him at all. Nixon seemed intent on completing his term, even if he accomplished nothing more.

It wasn't fear of Wallace anymore - Wallace had told Nixon he understood Nixon's decision to withdraw the offer, and his public calls for civil rights changes had been quite rare since the election. Yes, even Wallace was seeing a bad message for the republican agenda being sent by voters. But Nixon just kept on continuing to be in great denial.

By January, the republicans realized that there was only one way to save their party from further electoral disaster in 1972. They would have to create another impeachment proceeding-causing charge against Nixon. But they were not stupid enough to believe it would come naturally this time. They would have to force it....secretly....

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

January Surprise: Spiro Agnew Resigns

On January 25th, 1971, roughly a week before the planned Nixon SOTU on Feburary 1st, Spiro Agnew issued his resignation from the vice presidency, effective at noon the next day. He said that he had stayed this long because he had wanted to give Nixon the lead on deciding to end the administration,  but now realized that Nixon was going to do no such thing, and so he was leaving as he no longer felt comfortable being the right hand man of someone who was singlehandely causing republican electoral disaster. He also said that he would not endorse Nixon if he ran for reelection in 1972. He said that he would support a primary challenger, and if Nixon was nominated anyways, he would simply vote third party in the general.

The Vice President's announcement came with complete shock from the media and nearly every notable person in the country, for he had told no one that he was planning to resign, not even Nixon himself. Not even his closest friends and aides knew anything about it. The VP had kept things completely silent until the exact moment of his announcement. Even the announcement itself had been planned just hours before it happened, and the note planning it did not mention the purpose, simply saying that it "might be important".

After Agnew left office at noon on the 26th, Nixon annouced just a couple hours later that he was nominating House Minority Leader Gerald Ford to be the new VP. But by the next morning, media reports were out that Mr. Ford was declining the appointment, and Ford confirmed this in a speech on the house floor later that day. He said he had no desire to serve in Nixon's administration, and Nixon should follow the message of the voters and resign. Nixon then postponed making another VP nomination "until further notice".

Over the course of the week, the idea of not even inviting Nixon to make his SOTU address surfaced, but it didn't get enough traction to get a vote by the full house, likely because many felt that there was some chance of Nixon using the speech to announce his own resignation......