to be the running mate of the Republican presidential nomination, General Eisenhower, in 1952. Many of Eisenhower’s advisors wanted Nixon to resign his candidacy shortly after his vice-presidential nomination because of accusations that he misused his senator expenses fund. No evidence was found to prove this, and, in response, Nixon replied on national television with the “Checkers” speech, which contained sentimental reference to Nixon’s dog, Checkers. The speech was his attempt to prove his innocence.In the following campaign, Nixon once again attacked the Democratic presidential candidate as being soft on Communism. Nixon and Eisenhower’s victory led them both to being reelected in 1956, after surviving Republican attempts to replace Nixon. As vice-president, much of Nixon’s time was spent representing the president before Congress and on trips abroad as a goodwill ambassador, where he was occasionally the target of anti-US feelings.As Eisenhower neared the end of his second term as president, he endorsed Nixon, who received an impressive vote in party primaries and all but ten of the delegates votes on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention. An unusual feature of the campaign was a series of face-to-face discussions between Nixon and his Democratic opponent, Senator John F. Kennedy, who was widely regarded as the winner of the debates, which helped him win the election. In 1962, Nixon returned to California after losing the presidential election and became Republican candidate for governor. It was another bitter campaign, revolving around Communism and law enforcement, but this time his strategy did not work. Most political observers believed Nixon’s political career had ended by the was he handled the loss. Nixon moved and joined a large law firm in New York City after his defeat, and remained in close relations with national Republican leaders and campaigned for Republican...
