Winthrop University Digital Commons @ Winthrop University Graduate Theses The Graduate School 12-2017 Running from Behind: Nelson Rockefeller and the Liberal Republicans During the 1964 Republican Primaries Christopher Eller Winthrop University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Eller, Christopher, "Running from Behind: Nelson Rockefeller and the Liberal Republicans During the 1964 Republican Primaries" (2017). Graduate Theses. 72. https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses/72 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. 1 RUNNING FROM BEHIND: NELSON ROCKEFELLER AND THE LIBERAL REPUBLICANS DURING THE 1964 REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES A Thesis Presented to the Faculty Of the College of Arts and Sciences In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Of Master of Arts In History Winthrop University December, 2017 By Christopher Eller II Abstract This thesis seeks to examine if the conservative victory in the 1964 Republican presidential primaries was inevitable. Based on archival research, primary source materials, and secondary source materials, it is concluded that conservative candidate Barry Goldwater faced numerous instances when his campaign could have been defeated by Republican challengers, campaign blunders, and internal party factions. This thesis focuses on liberal Republican Nelson Rockefeller’s campaign with the intention of articulating the fracturing of the Republican Party in the early 1960s. Rockefeller’s quest for the nomination is emblematic of the changing nature of presidential politics in the post-World War II era leading to changes in voter preferences, campaign tactics, and ultimately the path to the White House.