July 1972

McGovern being robbed by Muskie, Humphrey, and Chisolm

In 1972 the Democratic Party instituted the "McGovern Rules" which sought to guarantee representation to women and minorities and thus insure a large number of first-time convention delegates. Challenges to several delegations, and Humphrey's challenge to the "winner-take-all" rule in California, prompted McGovern to react with hyperbole. He told a reporter, "There will never be a case in American politics of such a naked power grab . . . ."

Courtesy of Pat Oliphant and the Susan Conway Gallery of Washington, D.C.