The 1968 U.S. Presidential election is considered the most significant presidential election of the 20th century, and one of the most significant in American history. Growing unrest over President Johnson's unsuccessful intervention in Vietnam was among the factors prompting him not to seek reelection. The candidacy of popular former Attorney General Robert Kennedy abruptly ended with his assassination in June, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey's ultimate winning of the Democratic nomination, despite not having participated in any primaries, angered many Americans. On the Republican side, Richard Nixon decided to give a presidential run a second try, having lost to John F. Kennedy eight years earlier. Alabama governor George Wallace, fed up with the Democratic Party's increasingly liberal policies, launched a third-party candidacy on the American Independent ticket. The three-way race made for some very close results in many parts of the country. Below is a list of states with the lowest margins of victory (less than 5%), sorted by the margin percentages and color-coded for Nixon or Humphrey (Wallace's states were all won by margins of greater than 5%).
† Wallace finished second in Tennessee, ahead of Humphrey. He also placed in second in South Carolina and North Carolina, though by larger margins.