Nixon was a popular
incumbent president in 1972, as he seemed to have reached
détente with
China and the
USSR. He shrugged off the first glimmers of that, after the election, because of the massive
Watergate scandal.
Polls showed that Nixon had a strong lead. He was challenged by two minor candidates, liberal
Pete McCloskey of
California and conservative
John Ashbrook of
Ohio. McCloskey ran as an anti-Vietnam war candidate dedicated to a much more clearer liberal position compared to Nixon's ambiguity approach within the party, while Ashbrook was dedicated to a much more clearer conservative position than Nixon and opposed Nixon's
détente policies towards
China and the
Soviet Union. In the
New Hampshire primary McCloskey's platform of peace garnered 19.7% of the vote to Nixon's 67.9%, with Ashbrook receiving 10.9% and comedian Pat Paulsen receiving 1.1%.[7] Having previously stated that he would withdraw from the race had he not achieved 20% of the vote, McCloskey did so.
Nixon won 1,347 of the 1,348 delegates to the GOP convention, with McCloskey receiving the vote of one delegate from
New Mexico.[8]