This article lists those who were potential candidates for the
Republican nomination for
Vice President of the United States in the
1968 election. After winning the Republican presidential nomination at the
1968 Republican National Convention, former Vice President
Richard Nixon convened a series of meetings with close advisers and party leaders such as
Strom Thurmond in order to choose his running mate.[1] Nixon ultimately asked the convention to nominate Maryland Governor
Spiro Agnew as his running mate. By a large margin, Agnew won the vice presidential nomination on the first ballot over Michigan Governor
George W. Romney, who was supported by a faction of liberal Republicans.[1] Nixon chose Agnew because he wanted a centrist who was broadly acceptable to the party, had experience with domestic issues, and appealed to Southern voters (to counter the third party candidacy of former Alabama Governor
George Wallace).[2] The Nixon–Agnew ticket defeated the
Humphrey–
Muskie ticket, and also won re-election in
1972, defeating the
McGovern–
Shriver ticket. However, Agnew was forced to resign as vice president in 1973 due to a controversy regarding his personal taxes.
Despite being his running mate in 1960,
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was not considered as a potential running mate for Nixon in 1968.