March 31, 1968:
Some wanted LBJ to stay. Many others were glad to see him leave.
President Lyndon Johnson stuns the nation by announcing he "shall not seek" and "will not accept" the nomination of the Democratic Party for another term.
The decision comes in the wake of his weaker-than-expected showing in the March 12 New Hampshire primary and the subsequent presidential candidacy of Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York. It also comes as the nation remains deeply divided over what to do in Vietnam.
Johnson's bombshell came at the end of a nationally televised policy statement in which he announced the halting of bombing raids over North Vietnam.
Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.
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