The Election of Lyndon B. Johnson
President Lyndon B. Johnson was not actually elected President of the United States at first. He served as Vice President under John F. Kennedy before he was (unfortunately) assassinated. He succeeded JFK as President of the United States and finished his presidential term. However, when the time came for the next presidential election, he managed to win and served a full term as president.
In the Presidential Election of 1964, LBJ ran against the Republican party candidate Barry Goldwater. He won by a landslide victory, gaining 61% of the vote, the biggest margin of the 20th century. He was popular partially due to the fact that he promised he would carry on the plans that JFK left behind. Goldwater also had very little support from his own party. The Republican party's views were not being received well during this time period. Johnson portrayed Goldwater as being extremist and overly conservative.
The assassination of JFK was a historical event that shook the nation to the core. Making sure that LBJ followed up on JFK's plans was a big deal when he ran for president after succeeding JFK.
SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson#Election
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1964
Comments
A bit brief. Why did he not run in 1968?