[TNCMAXQ]

Re 1968, some say Wallace being in the race was a boost to Humphrey. Nixon even said in his book that Wallace took conservative voters away from him. Nixon’s margin might have been larger. He almost certainly would have carried TX so his electoral college margin would have been larger. Without Wallace in the race Nixon thought he would have taken an outright majority of the popular vote too.

[riverdawg]

I would normally be inclined to defer to Nixon’s judgement on this; he was a very shrewed political animal. However, in 1968 there were many Southerners who were conservative Democrats (an oxymoron now, of course). Wallace’s candidacy allowed them to vote for a conservative without pulling the still-dreaded (in many households) “R” lever. And Nixon was no conservative, in an absolute sense. Goldwater, for example, hated him and many on FR would have considered Nixon a RINO.