Political engagement has always been a prevalent force at the University, and the upcoming election has made this even more apparent. 48 presidential election cycles have coursed through campus in the history of the University, yet the activity surrounding this year’s election is just as strong as it was 56 years ago.

Peaceful protests, encampments, and political organizations have landed the University a twelfth-place finish in the rankings for the most politically active students in the United States according to the Princeton Review, but this isn’t a newfound campus spirit. 

As we grapple with the uncertainty of this year’s upcoming election, we thought we would zoom backwards to the 1968 election to see how University students were feeling during that unpredictable time. 

In 1968, Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey were the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates respectively, and both of their campaigns gained significant traction in the media. That year, the country was still in the thick of the Vietnam War, and the then-recent assassination of President John F. Kennedy still loomed over Americans’ minds. Lyndon B. Johnson was ending his first presidential term after enacting record civil rights legislation and declining to run for a second term. Needless to say, the next president had a reputation to uphold, and every sector of the United States felt the pressure—especially the education system.

During this tense time in our University’s history, then-Editor-in-Chief Jim Drummond ’69 and then-Associate Editors G. Bradley Rainer ’69 and John Wilson ’69 made a bold move by writing an article titled “A Pyrrhic Endorsement,” published on November 1, 1968.

“With a good deal of reluctance, The Argus endorses Hubert Humphrey for the Presidency,” Drummond, Rainer, and Wilson wrote. 

As the writers explained, the presidential choices facing the nation weren’t perfect, but Humphrey was the only viable alternative to Nixon.

“We know that Hubert Humphrey is a sickly alternative,” Drummond, Rainer, and Wilson wrote. “But…he does have ears, and he can hear dissent even if he does not understand it…. A vote for Dick Gregory or for any other write-in candidate is not going to elect or defeat anyone. And if the right man is not defeated this year, there is a good chance that we will live under a dictatorship…. A vote for Hubert Humphrey is a purchase of more time—not much more, perhaps, but nonetheless precious.”

To many students on campus today, the situation described by these writers is like the upcoming election this year, with the nation once again at the crossroads between making progress towards our future and retreating to our past. 

Similar to the predicament that some students feel today—that they vote reluctantly but necessarily—the writers in 1968 also confronted the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils while pondering the potential consequences of electing Richard Nixon. 

“After we manage to survive Richard Nixon, we can begin to ask why this magnificent nation of ours has chosen two candidates distinguished only by their mediocrity and one by his insanity,” Drummond, Rainer, and Wilson wrote.

When examining how politics and the election have shaped campus currents, it is important to also look at the University from several perspectives. New transfer students like Brianna Rodriguez ’26 have compared other college campuses to the unique atmosphere of this University, notably in a year as politically charged as 2024.

“I definitely do think there is more activism within the campus here,” Rodriguez said. “At my old college, I never really saw anything, I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t there, but we didn’t hear anything about those things. But here, there’s always kind of talk about clubs and their political organizations, and what they want to do activism-wise.”

The University possesses a multitude of politics-based clubs and organizations centered around a single political party. Their every action is amplified by the upcoming election.

“I’ve encountered protests, and specific clubs for activism, in comparison to my old college, which was a lot more broad,” Rodriguez said.

From the University’s Students for Justice in Palestine and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby to the Arcadia Political Review, there are a variety of outlets that allow current students to express themselves politically during this high-tension period. 

Coming off of the civil rights movement and the extensively unpopular Vietnam War, students were under pressure to make the optimal decision in the 1968 election. 

Similarly, the recent Black Lives Matter movement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict mean that the pressures on students today to engage in political action are just as high.

Although there are many parallels between the 1968 and current election—especially considering the equally historic decision of incumbent presidents Lyndon Johnson and Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race—there is reason to hope that history is not repeating itself.  Unlike the current Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey was not seen as a saving grace by the Democratic Party. 

Instead, according to a Letter to the Editor from Sept. 24, 1968, titled “Hang On Snoopy,” written by James A. Smith, an M.I.T. student, Humphrey was an unenthusiastic choice even among Democrats in other parts of the country. 

“Here in the District of Columbia, Sam Smith, a Democratic Central Committee member elected on a peace slate over a Humphrey slate, said at a recent meeting (which finally endorsed Humphrey reluctantly) that ‘what we are really disputing is whether we should share with Humphrey the role of funeral director for the Democratic ticket. I don’t want to do that,’” Smith wrote.

Amidst the 1968 race between Nixon, Humphrey, and a slate of third-party candidates—an election widely regarded as one of the most turbulent elections in American history—Humphrey was ultimately the favored choice on campus despite Nixon’s national win, according to an Argus exit poll laid out in Drummond’s Nov. 5, 1968 article “Humphrey Swamps Nixon In Argus Poll; Gregory, Cleaver, And McCarthy Follow.”

“In a poll taken yesterday, Hubert Humphrey received 66.2% of the 645 votes cast by Wesleyan students, as opposed to 19.2% in favor of Richard Nixon,” Drummond wrote.

The political climate on campus during election season has always been undoubtedly tense. Nevertheless, students will always come forward and advocate for issues they’re passionate about, whether in 1968 or 2024.

Sida Chu contributed reporting.

Aryana Galdo can be reached at agaldo@wesleyan.edu.

Lara Anlar can be reached at lanlar@wesleyan.edu. 

“From the Argives” is a column that explores The Argus’ archives (Argives) and any interesting, topical, poignant, or comical stories that have been published in the past. Given The Argus’ long history on campus and the ever-shifting viewpoints of its student body, the material, subject matter, and perspectives expressed in the archived article may be insensitive or outdated, and do not reflect the views of any current member of The Argus. If you have any questions about the original article or its publication, please contact Head Archivists Sida Chu at schu@wesleyan.edu and Maggie Smith at mssmith@wesleyan.edu.