Richard Nixon is the only person in American history to be elected to the vice presidency twice and the presidency twice. That's a lot of winning. But if you're asking how many times did Nixon run for president, the answer isn't a simple "two." It's actually three official general election campaigns, plus a messy, high-stakes primary run that most people completely forget about. He was a man who basically lived on the ballot for two decades.
He lost. He won. He lost some more. Then he staged the greatest comeback in political history before it all came crashing down in the most famous scandal of the 20th century. To understand the American century, you have to understand why this guy kept putting himself through the ringer.
The First Shot: 1960 and the Television Trap
Nixon’s first real climb to the top of the mountain happened in 1960. He’d spent eight years as Dwight D. Eisenhower’s "attack dog" vice president. He was the heir apparent. On paper, he should have walked into the White House. He had the experience. He had the foreign policy chops. He’d famously stood toe-to-toe with Nikita Khrushchev in the "Kitchen Debate."
Then came John F. Kennedy.
The 1960 election changed everything because of a little thing called the televised debate. If you weren't there, it’s hard to describe how much of a shock this was. Nixon was recovering from a knee infection. He was pale. He had a "five o’clock shadow" that made him look like a villain from a noir film. Kennedy, meanwhile, was tan and glowing. People listening on the radio thought Nixon won. People watching on TV? They thought JFK was already the president.
It was one of the closest elections in history. Nixon lost by about 112,000 votes nationwide. There were rumors of "funny business" with the vote counts in Illinois and Texas—shout out to Mayor Daley and Lyndon Johnson—but Nixon, in a rare moment of institutional restraint, decided not to contest the results. He didn't want a constitutional crisis. He went home to California, ostensibly defeated.
The Forgotten Failure: The 1964 "Ghost" Campaign
When people count how many times did Nixon run for president, they usually skip 1964. Technically, he wasn't the nominee. Barry Goldwater was. But Nixon was absolutely testing the waters. After losing the California gubernatorial race in 1962—where he famously told the press, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore"—everyone thought he was dead and buried.
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He wasn't.
He spent 1964 hovering. He was the "bridge" candidate between the moderate Rockefeller wing of the GOP and the hard-right Goldwater wing. While he didn't formally enter the primaries with a full-blown organization, he was positioned as the "in case of emergency, break glass" option. When Goldwater won the nomination and subsequently got absolutely demolished by LBJ, Nixon was the one left standing in the wreckage, having campaigned for the party and earned a mountain of "IOUs" from local GOP chairs across the country.
The Resurrection: 1968 and the Silent Majority
By 1968, the United States was vibrating with tension. Vietnam was a meat grinder. MLK and RFK had been assassinated. The streets of Chicago were a war zone during the Democratic National Convention. Nixon saw his opening. This was his second official run for the presidency as a major party nominee.
He rebranded. This was the "New Nixon." He was calmer, more presidential, and he spoke to what he called the "Silent Majority"—the people who weren't protesting, who weren't hippies, and who just wanted the chaos to stop. He beat Hubert Humphrey in a three-way race that included the segregationist George Wallace. It was a masterpiece of strategic positioning. He realized that you didn't have to be loved; you just had to be the guy who promised to restore order.
The Landslide: 1972 and the Beginning of the End
Nixon’s third official run in 1972 was a steamroller. He ran against George McGovern, who was portrayed (rightly or wrongly) as being way too far to the left for the average American voter. Nixon won 49 out of 50 states. It was a mandate of staggering proportions.
But here’s the irony: Nixon was so paranoid about losing—despite being ahead in every poll by double digits—that his campaign team (the Committee to Re-elect the President, or CREEP) felt the need to play dirty. That paranoia led to a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex.
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He ran for president to gain power, but the way he ran in 1972 was exactly what ensured he would lose that power just two years later. He resigned in 1974.
Totaling the Tally
To be crystal clear for your trivia night or history essay, here is the breakdown of the Nixon runs:
- 1960: Lost to JFK (Official Nominee).
- 1964: Unofficial "shadow" campaign/convention maneuvering (Did not get nomination).
- 1968: Won against Hubert Humphrey (Official Nominee).
- 1972: Won against George McGovern (Official Nominee).
So, he was the Republican nominee three times, but he was an active "candidate" or factor in four cycles.
Why Did He Keep Running?
Honestly, Nixon was a striver. He didn't have the Kennedy money or the Roosevelt name. He was the son of a grocer from Whittier, California. He felt like an outsider his whole life. For Nixon, running for president wasn't just about policy—it was about validation.
Historians like Rick Perlstein, who wrote Nixonland, argue that Nixon tapped into a specific American resentment. He represented the people who worked hard, played by the rules, and felt looked down upon by the "liberal elite." Every time he ran, he wasn't just running for himself; he was running for every person who felt like they didn't belong at the fancy dinner party.
It’s also worth noting that Nixon was a policy wonk. He actually liked the job. He opened the door to China, created the EPA (yeah, a Republican did that), and ended the draft. He wanted the office because he thought he was the only one smart enough to handle the Cold War. His ego and his intellect were inseparable.
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The Legacy of the Perpetual Candidate
Nixon’s constant campaigning changed how we do politics. He was the first to really master the "staged" event. He used television to bypass the media and talk directly to voters—look at his "Checkers Speech" back in 1952 when he was almost kicked off the VP ticket. He proved that a political career could have a second, or even third, act.
Before Nixon, if you lost a presidential race, you were usually done. Adlai Stevenson lost twice and faded away. Thomas Dewey lost twice and became a footnote. Nixon lost the presidency and the governorship of his home state and still became the leader of the free world. That kind of resilience is almost unheard of today.
Practical Insights for History Buffs
If you're digging into Nixon's career for a project or just because you're a glutton for political drama, here is how you should look at the data:
- Focus on the 1962 "Last Press Conference": To understand why his 1968 win was so shocking, you have to watch the footage of him losing in California in '62. He was bitter. He was done. It makes the comeback story much more visceral.
- Check the Primary Maps: Nixon didn't just "get" the nomination in '68. He had to fight off Ronald Reagan (the newcomer) and Nelson Rockefeller (the establishment). It was a three-way civil war for the soul of the GOP.
- Look at the 1960 popular vote: It is a reminder of how much a few thousand votes in places like Cook County, Illinois, can change the entire trajectory of the world. If Nixon wins in '60, do we have a Vietnam War? Do we have a moon landing by 1969?
Nixon’s runs for the presidency weren't just about a man wanting a job. They were a twenty-year conversation between a complicated man and a complicated country. He ran until he won, and then he kept running until he ran out of room.
Next Steps for Your Research
To get a true feel for the Nixon era, start by listening to the Nixon Tapes. You can find digitized versions through the Nixon Library or the National Archives. Hearing the man’s actual voice—the paranoia, the brilliance, the saltiness—gives you a perspective that no textbook can. After that, look up the 1968 electoral map. It explains the "Southern Strategy" better than any long-form essay ever could. Seeing how the map flipped from blue to red in the South is the key to understanding modern American elections.