During Nixon's second administration, leading liberal Democratic thinkers worried that the party was moving to the center and abandoning the old New Deal approach to the challenges of the day. On 8/26/1974, weeks after Nixon resigned, a gathering of these liberal Democrats met and formed the "Committee for a Constitutional Presidency." The group decided to form state organizations to offer a "realistic choice" for President in 1976. Eugene McCarthy was chosen as the temporary chairman of the nationwide organization. New York Times 8/27/1974

Although liberal Democrats were among the most noticeable winners of the 1974 Democratic landslide, the party continued to move to the center. By the time McCarthy held a press conference on 12/11/1974, in which he announced his opposition to the recent campaign finance reform measures passed by Congress, he had already decided to run for President as an Independent in 1976. New York Times 12/12/1974

McCarthy announced his candidacay in Madison WI on 1/12/1975. In his speech, he said that the national Democratic Party spent too much time trying to "hedge and compromise." New York Times 1/13/1975.

McCarthy spent most of the year 1975 on two fronts: identifying his liberal agenda and refusing to allow Federal Elections Commission audits of his records. McCarthy argued that the 1974 campaign finance law was unconstitutional and that federal officials had no right to see his campaign's financial records. The federal officials were charged with examining the receipts and expenditures of candidates to determine who to give federal money to. New York Times 8/31/1975.

McCarthy '76

As the primary season began in 1976, McCarthy sought ways to keep his name in the press. On 2/5/1976, McCarthy announced his choice of William C. Ford, a vice president of Ford Motor Company, to run for vice president. In his announcement, McCarthy stated that he expected to spen