The 1964 election wasn't just a vote. It was a massive, nationwide collision between two totally different versions of what America should look like. If you're looking into who ran for president in 1964, you'll find the names Lyndon B. Johnson and Barry Goldwater, but those names are just the tip of the iceberg. This was the year the "Solid South" began to crumble and the modern conservative movement basically willed itself into existence.
It was loud. It was messy. Honestly, it was pretty scary for a lot of people living through it.
You had LBJ, the towering Texan who stepped into the Oval Office after the JFK assassination, trying to build a "Great Society." On the other side, you had Barry Goldwater, a senator from Arizona who didn't care if he sounded "extreme." In fact, he leaned into it. This wasn't your typical "middle-of-the-road" political spat. It was a choice between a massive expansion of the federal government and a philosophy that wanted to tear much of that government down.
The Man in the White House: Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson didn't just want to win. He wanted to crush the opposition.
After taking over in November 1963, Johnson spent his first year in office finishing what Kennedy started, specifically the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was a master of the "Johnson Treatment"—basically getting in your face, using his height, and talking until you agreed to do what he wanted. He ran as the steady hand. The man who would keep the peace while Goldwater supposedly wanted to start World War III.
His running mate was Hubert Humphrey, a liberal lion from Minnesota. Together, they represented the powerhouse of the Democratic Party at its peak. They promised to fight poverty. They promised medical care for the elderly. They promised that the government could, and should, make your life better. It’s hard to imagine now, but back then, a lot of people actually believed that was possible.
The Insurgent: Barry Goldwater and the Conservative Revolt
Then there’s Barry Goldwater.
If you ask most historians who ran for president in 1964, they’ll tell you Goldwater lost in a landslide. And he did. He got absolutely smoked. But his campaign is probably the most influential "failure" in American history. Goldwater wasn't a "go along to get along" Republican. He hated the New Deal. He thought the federal government was getting way too big.
He famously said during his acceptance speech at the RNC: "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!"
People freaked out. The media portrayed him as a madman who would drop nuclear bombs the second he got the keys to the White House. His running mate, William E. Miller, didn't do much to soften that image. Goldwater’s supporters, however, loved him with a literal passion. They wore pins that said "In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right."
Democrats replied with: "In Your Guts, You Know He’s Nuts."
The Famous "Daisy" Ad and the Politics of Fear
You can't talk about the 1964 candidates without talking about the Daisy ad. It only aired once, but it changed political advertising forever.
It showed a little girl counting flower petals, followed by a countdown and a nuclear explosion. The message was simple: If you vote for Goldwater, your kids will die in a nuclear war. It was brutal. It was effective. It was arguably the first modern "attack ad" that went straight for the jugular.
Johnson’s campaign didn't even mention Goldwater by name in the ad. They didn't have to. Everyone knew who the "dangerous" guy was supposed to be. Goldwater’s own words about using "tactical" nuclear weapons in Vietnam had painted him into a corner he couldn't get out of.
Third Party Noise and the Ghost of George Wallace
While we focus on the big two, there were other people lurking in the background. George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama, actually ran in the Democratic primaries.
He did surprisingly well in Northern states like Wisconsin and Maryland. This shocked the "polite" political establishment. It showed that there was a deep-seated resentment toward civil rights and "forced integration" even outside the Deep South. Wallace eventually dropped out when he realized he couldn't win the nomination, but his presence shaped how both Johnson and Goldwater talked to white working-class voters.
There were also the usual minor parties—the Socialist Workers Party, the Prohibition Party, and the Socialist Party. None of them mattered in the grand tally, but they represented the fringes of a country that was starting to fracture along cultural lines.
Why the Map Flipped
When the votes were counted, Johnson won 44 states. Goldwater won six.
But look closer at those six states. Goldwater won his home state of Arizona and five states in the Deep South: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
This was a political earthquake. These were states that had been "Yellow Dog Democrat" since the Civil War. By signing the Civil Rights Act, Johnson famously (and correctly) predicted that the Democrats had "delivered the South to the Republican Party for a long time to come."
The Breakdown of the Results:
- Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat): 486 Electoral Votes, 61.1% of the popular vote.
- Barry Goldwater (Republican): 52 Electoral Votes, 38.5% of the popular vote.
It was a blowout. But it was also the birth of the "Southern Strategy." The Republicans realized they could win by appealing to voters who felt alienated by the liberal social shifts of the 1960s.
The Long-Term Impact
If Goldwater hadn't run, we might not have had Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s career really took off during this campaign when he gave "A Time for Choosing," a televised speech for Goldwater that made him a conservative superstar.
The 1964 election essentially sorted the two parties into what they are today. Before 1964, you had liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats. After 1964, those groups started switching sides or disappearing. The middle ground was scorched.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs and Students
If you're studying this period or just curious about how we got to our current political climate, here is how you should approach the 1964 election:
- Watch "A Time for Choosing": It's on YouTube. It explains the Goldwater philosophy better than Goldwater ever did himself.
- Study the Civil Rights Act context: Don't just look at the vote; look at the Senate filibuster that preceded it. It explains why the South flipped.
- Analyze the "Daisy" Ad: Look at how it uses sound and pacing. It’s a masterclass in psychological campaigning.
- Compare the 1960 and 1964 maps: You’ll see the exact moment the political geography of the United States changed forever.
The 1964 race wasn't just a win for LBJ; it was the starting gun for the culture wars that still dominate our news cycles today. Understanding who ran for president in 1964 isn't about memorizing names; it's about seeing the roots of modern America.
To truly grasp the shift, look into the specific primary battles of 1964. The Republican primary was a bloodbath between Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller, the "Eastern Establishment" moderate. That fight was the first time the grassroots "conservative" base really flexed its muscles against the party's big donors and traditional leaders. Researching the "Draft Goldwater" movement provides a blueprint for how modern insurgent campaigns—on both sides of the aisle—still operate today.