Goldwater Appears Unstoppable

July 5, 1964 - Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater’s bandwagon drive for the Republican Presidential nomination today apparently rolled past the point where it could be stopped by his GOP foes when he captured all 30 Wisconsin delegates and 38 of the 58 in Ohio.

It will take 655 to nominate at San Francisco next week, and the latest count prior to today by the Goldwater camp had shown 690 for their man. Goldwater himself had said he would need a margin of 100 votes before he could feel safe.

With today’s gain of 68 in Wisconsin and Ohio, he has topped that goal with 758.

In related news, Rep. Melvin Laird (R-Wis.), chairman of the Republican Platform Committee, said today he can “envisage very easily” a ticket with Goldwater for President and Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton for Vice President.

Laird said on the television program “Meet the Press” that the Arizona Senator never has said there is a deep difference over-all between his beliefs and those of Scranton.

Laird conceded the two differ significantly on the civil rights issue but said he thinks Goldwater voted his convictions, while President Johnson “approached the civil rights area in a rather hypocritical fashion.”

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