Robert Schwarz Strauss - National Political Activity

National Political Activity

The 1968 presidential election brought the Republican Richard Nixon to power and left the Democratic Party deeply divided. Strauss had long expected that his friend John Connally would one day run for president, and hoped that he would seek the Democratic nomination in the next election. Strauss opened a Washington office for his law firm and became Treasurer of the Democratic Party in 1971, but the same year, Connally accepted an invitation from President Nixon to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. In 1972, the Democrats nominated George McGovern, while Connally supported Nixon. McGovern and the Democrats suffered a crushing defeat, losing in 49 of the 50 states.

In the wake of this defeat, Strauss was elected Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Although emboldened by their success in the Congressional elections of 1974, the Democrats had no obvious front-runner for the presidential nomination in 1976. While remaining studiously neutral in the struggle for the nomination, Strauss carefully rebuilt the party's finances and planned a tightly disciplined national convention in New York City to erase memories of the chaotic gatherings of 1968 and 1972. By the time the Democrats met at Madison Square Garden, the nomination had been secured by an unexpected candidate, former Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter.

Strauss expertly managed the convention. At the 1972 convention, party infighting had delayed candidate McGovern's acceptance speech until late at night, when the television audience had gone to sleep. Strauss made sure that Carter's acceptance speech ran in prime time, and the convention ended with a memorable tableau: the leaders of the party's opposing wings, conservative George Wallace and liberal George McGovern, flanking candidate Carter with clasped hands upraised. The Democrats entered the fall campaign united for the first time in years. Credit for this accomplishment was awarded to the Party's Chairman, Robert Strauss, and candidate Carter quickly asked Strauss to chair his election campaign as well. The national election was closely contested, but Carter emerged victorious. Strauss was acclaimed as a political kingmaker.