[ngat]

A liberal republican named McCloskey, I forget where he was from - and a conservative who did not like the opening to China. Neither of them got anywhere because most republicans, and democrats, saw Nixon as a real conservative and were too afraid of McGovern to risk dumping Nixon.

[Genoa]

afraid of McGovern

But the early Dem favorite that year was Edmund Muskie, and Scoop Jackson was also highly touted. Plus George Wallace was popular in the south (that's the year he was shot). McGovern didn't look like a winner until the primary season had already been underway. And I don't know if I'd go so far as to say the Republicans were afraid of him. The Democrats let the lefties get control of the party and shot themselves in the foot. McGovern took one state (Massachusetts) and DC in November. (But my college friends and I all thought he was cool.)

[mwl8787]

Your memory is good. Congressman Pete McCloskey (CA) challenged Nixon from the left, and Congressman John Ashbrook (OH) challenged Nixon from the right.

Neither challenge amounted to much. The Ashbrook Center, a conservative think tank, is named for Ashbrook.