The presidential election of 1968 was one of the more impactful ones of the period. It occurred during a rather unsettled time in US history. Several high-profile assassinations, such as that of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., had just occurred. Anti-war protests were taking place across American cities and college campuses. The so-called culture war was in full swing.

This instability cast a bad light on the Democratic Party and gave Republican candidate Richard Nixon the opportunity to run on a platform of "law and order." As a third-party candidate, George Wallace was able to win over several Southern states that had traditionally voted Democrat. This handed the victory to Nixon and has reshaped US politics ever since.

This was also the first presidential election since the passage of several landmark civil rights and voting rights acts. By legally expanding the rights of certain minorities, it is thought that the Democrats cost themselves crucial votes in the South.

It is clear that the Republican Party was the clear winner in 1968. This led to a significant realigning of the political landscape. Since the administration of Franklin Roosevelt, the Democratic Party had arguably been the dominant party in the country. After 1968, the Republicans tended to dominate policy and win most of the presidential elections. The Democrats have not yet regained the support that they once had in the Southern states, where conservatism has become greatly entrenched.