The reason Truman did not run for re-election again after his term in 1945 to 1952 was be cause he had very little support from many people. And in these times, as in times before, it is true that a house divided against itself by the spirit of faction, of party, of region, of religion, of race, is a house that cannot stand. Much of the public and the news media interpreted Johnsons announcement as a Godsend that made the project of national repair more feasible for 1968; LBJs withdrawal offered hope, however scant, of national reconciliation, hope that new leaders would step up and somehow unite a fractured Republic. the peace that will one day stop the bloodshed in South Vietnam, And the war will go on. Its a change from his speeches at donor events benefiting the Democratic National Committee or other outside political groups that he has given since entering the White House. Certainly friendship with the nations of such a Southeast Asia is what the United States seeksand that is all that the United States seeks. Why didn't Lyndon Johnson run for reelection in 1968 - The When Johnson decided not to run for reelection in 1968, he was losing public support in the face of an unpopular war in Vietnam and major opposition from within his own party. There is divisiveness among us all tonight. We assume that during those talks Hanoi will not take advantage of our restraint. Armies on both sides will take new casualties. to move back into the countryside as quickly as possible, Johnson was widely expected to run and easily win the Democratic nomination in 1968 despite declining approval ratings below 50 percent. Republicans saw the speech as proof that Johnsonand his agendawere unworkable and had been defeated. I cannot say and no man could say that no more will be asked of us. to expand their own armed forces, The actions that we have taken since the beginning of the year Richard Goodwin, a former LBJ speechwriter who had joined McCarthys campaign in protest of the Vietnam War, felt stunned, then exultant when he heard Johnson say he would leave the White House in January. We had no hint of what was coming., The secrecy reflected Johnsons desire to keep his options open as long as possible, according to presidential historian and LBJ biographer Robert Dallek. President Johnson also had some health worries at the This is what I had urged him to do., Johnson, however, saw things differently. Our purpose in this action is to bring about a reduction in the level of violence that now exists. Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term? LBJ faced long odds in November; his top aides feared that he might not even win re-nomination. Conservatives asserted that Johnson had micromanaged and lost the war in Vietnam by refusing to unleash the full military arsenal of the United States. Humphrey had enough support among delegates to win the nomination at the partys violent, fractious convention in Chicago that summer, and the partys platform by and large reflected Johnsons views of the war and endorsed his continued military commitment to Vietnam. A number of its nations have shown what can be accomplished under conditions of security. The candidates and their allies feared that Johnsons decision might sap the energy that had provided them with much political attention and excitement from the moment they announced their primary challenges. Kyprianou became president on his own right after winning the 1977 presidential by-election unopposed. Lessons Learned: LBJ Announces He Will Not Seek Reelection He declined to do so because of protest about the Vietnamese War even within his own party. I thought it would take another six weeks, he said. That offer was this: Hayes said in his letter that he believed reform could most likely be accomplished by a president who is under no temptation to use the patronage of his office, to promote his own re-election, according to his presidential library and museums website. And united we have enlarged that commitment. Johnson restates his offer to the North Vietnamese to begin talks for making peace, and he discusses the economic problems and solutions in the United States. Members of the presidents family urged him to run for another term. Then Dr. Spock attacked the Vietnam draft. A young photographer took this harrowing image of the Vietnam War. The November midterm elections are fast approaching, and with them the unofficial start of the 2024 presidential election cycle. Matthew Dallek is a professor at George Washington Universitys Graduate School of Political Management and author of Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security. Johnson Says He Won't And we are doing so unilaterally, and at once. I pay tribute once again tonight to the great courage and the endurance of its people. Libe seek reelection Kim Foxx will not seek reelection in 2024 after serving two terms as Cook County State's Attorney. Perhaps the war would finally begin to end now that Johnson was bowing out of the race. Five days after the speech, James Earl Ray, a small-time criminal with racist views, shot and killedMartin Luther King, Jr. as he was standing on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Twenty-eight senators are seeking re-election15 Republicans and 13 Democrats. Last week, at the monetary conference in Stockholm, the major industrial countries decided to take a big step toward creating a new international monetary asset that will strengthen the international monetary system. We and our allies can only help to provide a shield behind which the people of South Vietnam can survive and can grow and develop. Resolutions of the Congress testify to the need to resist aggression in the world and in Southeast Asia. Finally, my fellow Americans, let me say this. Throughout my entire public career I have followed the personal philosophy that I am a free man, an American, a public servant, and a member of my party, in that order always and only. It has not been easyfar from it. Why did Eisenhower run for re-election in 1960? We must have a responsible fiscal policy in this country. I believe that the men who endure the dangers of battlefighting there for us tonightare helping the entire world avoid far greater conflicts, far wider wars, far more destruction, than this one.