A good friend once commented on how differently things might have been had voters known of Watergate in 1972 and elected McGovern instead of Nixon. On its face, it is an interesting thought. However, it fails to take into account two things. First, the news about Watergate broke in June of 1972, so voters did know about it. Second, McGovern was drummed out of politics amidst scandal as was Nixon. McGovern didn’t even carry his home state of North Dakota in the 1972 election. The thought might have been enhanced had my friend used the premise of electing Humphrey in 1968. Humphrey, after all, was at least an honorable person who came much closer to winning than McGovern.
