re: #348 HappyWarrior

1966 was a very Republican year but I have read that too. I think Brown got too comfy and cocky after beating Nixon in 1962 which wasn’t a bad year for a midterm for Democrats since JFK got props for the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, I think Nixon was convinced that he lost to Brown because of that.

Pat Brown’s popularity was waning by 1966. He only got 52% in the Democratic primary that year. There were the Watts Riots and the early Vietnam protests at Berkeley. He had also promised not to seek a third term and then went back on that. Plus, at the time California still leaned Republican statewide at the time.