Eighteen-Day Running Mate: McGovern, Eagleton, and a Campaign in Crisis

Eighteen-Day Running Mate: McGovern, Eagleton, and a Campaign in Crisis by Glasser, Joshua M. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780300176292.

The riveting story of a doomed presidential ticket and the truth behind this singular election-year drama No skeletons were rattling in his closet Thomas Eagleton assured George McGoverns political director. But only eighteen days later--after a series of damaging public revelations and feverish behind-the-scenes maneuverings--McGovern rescinded his endorsement of his Democratic vice-presidential running mate and Eagleton withdrew from the ticket. This fascinating book is the first to uncover the full story behind Eagletons rise and precipitous fall as a national candidate. Within days of Eagletons nomination a pair of anonymous phone calls brought to light his history of hospitalizations for "nervous exhaustion and depression" and past treatment with electroshock therapy. The revelation rattled the campaign and placed McGoverns organization under intense public and media scrutiny. Joshua M. Glasser investigates a campaign in disarray and explores the perspectives of the campaigns key players how decisions were made and who made them how cultural attitudes toward mental illness informed the crisis and how Eagletons and McGoverns personal ambitions shaped the course of events. Drawing on personal interviews with McGovern campaign manager Gary Hart political director Frank Mankiewicz and dozens of other participants inside and outside the McGovern and Eagleton camps--as well as extensive unpublished campaign records--Glasser captures the political and human drama of Eagletons brief candidacy. Glasser also offers sharp insights into the America of 1972--mired in war and anxious about the economy a time with striking similarities to our own.