Eugene McCarthy

Who would have thought that coming in second in a primary election could actually seem like you won?

In 1968, Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy finished such a close second to incumbent Lyndon Johnson that it spelled the end of the Johnson reelection candidacy.

A few days after McCarthy’s surprise second-place showing, Robert F. Kennedy joined the race, and just a couple of weeks later, Johnson dropped out.

I first met Eugene McCarthy in 1987, for this interview.

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