1964 Republican National Convention

1964 Republican National Convention

1964 presidential election
Nominees Goldwater and Miller
Convention
Date(s)	July 13–16, 1964
City	Daly City, California
Venue	Cow Palace
Notable speakers	Richard M. Nixon Nelson Rockefeller
Candidates
Presidential nominee	Barry Goldwater of Arizona
Vice Presidential nominee	William E. Miller of New York
Other candidates	Nelson Rockefeller William Scranton
Voting
Total delegates	1,308
Votes needed for nomination	655
Results (President)	Goldwater (AZ): 883 (67.50%) Scranton (PA): 214 (16.36%) Rockefeller (NY): 114 (8.72%)
Results (Vice President)	Miller (NY): 100% (Roll call)
Ballots	1
‹ 1960  ·  1968 ›

The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States took place in the Cow Palace, Daly City, California, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had been only one national Republican convention on the West Coast, the 1956 Republican National Convention, which also took place in the Cow Palace. Many believed that a convention at San Francisco indicated the rising power of the Republican party in the west.

The Republican primaries of 1964 featured liberal Nelson Rockefeller of New York and conservative Barry Goldwater of Arizona as the two leading candidates. Shortly before the California primary, Rockefeller's wife, whom he had just married the previous year soon after divorcing his previous wife, gave birth; this drew renewed attention to his family life which hurt his popularity among conservatives and helped Goldwater win the primary. An anti-Goldwater organization called for the nomination of Governor William Scranton of Pennsylvania, but the effort failed. Although former President Dwight Eisenhower only reluctantly supported Goldwater after he won the nomination, former President Herbert Hoover gave him enthusiastic endorsement. By the end of the primaries, Goldwater's nomination was secure.

Senator Margaret Chase Smith's name was entered for nomination at the Convention, the first time a woman's name was entered for nomination at a major party convention.

It was the only Republican convention between 1948 and 2008 that failed to feature Richard Nixon, Bob Dole or a Bush on the ticket.

The Republican National Convention of 1964 was a tension-filled contest. Goldwater's conservatives were openly clashing with Rockefeller's moderates. Goldwater was regarded as the "conservatives' leading spokesman." As a result, Goldwater was not as popular with the moderates and liberals of the Republican Party. When Rockefeller attempted to deliver a speech, he was booed by the convention's conservative delegates, who regarded him as a member of the "eastern liberal establishment." Despite the infighting, Goldwater was easily nominated. He chose William E. Miller, a Congressman from New York, as his running mate. In his acceptance speech, he declared communism as a "principal disturber of the peace in the world today" and said, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Some people, including those within his own campaign staff, believed this weakened Goldwater's chances, as he effectively severed ties with the moderates and liberals of the Republican Party.