jan 1, 1968 - Election of 1968

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Nixon elected

1968 is considered a realignment year. The last realignment was in 1932 (shift in party priorities and in the voter base --> black voters start supporting Democrats). The south shift to the Republican Party ("Southern Strategy"). Nixon appealed to the south. Nixon said he wouldn't directly oppose civil rights but also would not strongly enforce them. He also appeals to the law-and-order kind of mindset (the silent majority).
The seeds for this were planted in 1964 with Barry Goldwater's opposition to Civil Rights : provided cover and space for southern segregationists.

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