Editing Spiro Agnew (section)

===Background: Rockefeller and Nixon===
[[File:Nelson Rockefeller talking to LBJ, color-cropped.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Shot of a middle-aged man, dressed in a business suit.|Nelson Rockefeller, Agnew's initial choice for president in 1968]]
At least until the April 1968 disturbances, Agnew's image was that of a liberal Republican. Since 1964 he had supported the presidential ambitions of Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] of New York, and early in 1968, with that year's elections looming, he became chairman of the "Rockefeller for President" citizens' committee.{{sfn|Chester|Hodgson|Page|1969|p=241}} When in a televised speech on March 21, 1968, Rockefeller shocked his supporters with an apparently unequivocal withdrawal from the race, Agnew was dismayed and humiliated; despite his very public role in the Rockefeller campaign, he had received no advance warning of the decision. He took this as a personal insult and as a blow to his credibility.{{sfn|Chester|Hodgson|Page|1969|pp=243–244}}{{sfn|Witcover|2007|pp= 8–9}}

Within days of Rockefeller's announcement, Agnew was being wooed by supporters of the former vice president Richard Nixon, whose [[Richard Nixon 1968 presidential campaign|campaign]] for the Republican nomination was well under way.{{sfn|Witcover|1972|p=201}} Agnew had no antagonism towards Nixon, and in the wake of Rockefeller's withdrawal had indicated that Nixon might be his "second choice".{{sfn|Witcover|2007|pp=8–9}} When the two met in New York on March 29 they found an easy rapport.{{sfn|Witcover|2007|p=201}} Agnew's words and actions after the April disturbances in Baltimore delighted conservative members of the Nixon camp such as Pat Buchanan, and also impressed Nixon.{{sfn|Witcover|2007|p=14}} When on April 30 Rockefeller re-entered the race, Agnew's reaction was cool. He commended the governor as potentially a "formidable candidate" but did not commit his support: "A lot of things have happened since his withdrawal&nbsp;... I think I've got to take another look at this situation".{{sfn|Witcover|1972|p=206}}

In mid-May, Nixon, interviewed by [[David Broder]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', mentioned the Maryland governor as a possible running mate.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Adam |title=David Broder, 81, Dies; Set 'Gold Standard' for Political Journalism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/09/AR2011030902821.html?sid=ST2011030903008 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 10, 2011 |access-date=September 2, 2017 |archive-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904152302/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/09/AR2011030902821.html?sid=ST2011030903008 |url-status=live }}</ref> As Agnew continued to meet with Nixon and with the candidate's senior aides,{{sfn|Witcover|2007|p=15}} there was a growing impression that he was moving into the Nixon camp. At the same time, Agnew denied any political ambitions beyond serving his full four-year term as governor.{{sfn|Witcover|1972|pp=212–213}}