Editing Spiro Agnew (section)

=== Re-election in 1972 ===
Through 1971, it was uncertain if Agnew would be retained on the ticket as Nixon sought a second term in 1972. Neither Nixon nor his aides were enamored of Agnew's independence and outspokenness, and were less than happy at Agnew's popularity among conservatives suspicious of Nixon. The President considered replacing him with Treasury Secretary [[John Connally]], a Democrat and former [[Governor of Texas]]. For his part, Agnew was unhappy with many of Nixon's stances, especially in foreign policy, disliking Nixon's rapprochement with China (on which Agnew was not consulted) and believing that the Vietnam War could be won with sufficient force. Even after Nixon announced his re-election bid at the start of 1972, it was unclear if Agnew would be his running mate, and it was not until July 21 that Nixon asked Agnew and the vice president accepted. A public announcement was made the following day.{{sfn|Coffey|2015|pp= 127–131, 140}}

[[File:Spiro Agnew Congratulates Launch Control After Launch of Apollo 17 - GPN-2002-000058.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Agnew, standing, speaks into a microphone as others seated in the row of spectators nearby look on.|Spiro Agnew congratulates launch control after the launch of [[Apollo 17]] in 1972]]
Nixon instructed Agnew to avoid personal attacks on the press and the Democratic presidential nominee, South Dakota Senator [[George McGovern]], to stress the positives of the Nixon administration, and not to comment on what might happen in 1976. At the [[1972 Republican National Convention]] in Miami Beach, Agnew was greeted as a hero by delegates who saw him as the party's future. After being nominated for a second term, Agnew delivered an acceptance speech focused on the administration's accomplishments, and avoided his usual slashing invective, but he condemned McGovern for supporting [[busing]], and alleged that McGovern, if elected, would beg the North Vietnamese for the return of American prisoners of war. The [[Watergate]] break-in was a minor issue in the campaign; for once, Agnew's exclusion from Nixon's inner circle worked in his favor, as he knew nothing of the matter until reading of it in the press, and upon learning from [[Jeb Magruder]] that administration officials were responsible for the break-in, cut off discussion of the matter. He viewed the break-in as foolish, and felt that both major parties routinely spied on each other.{{sfn|Coffey|2015|pp= 138–139}} Nixon had instructed Agnew not to attack McGovern's initial running mate, Missouri Senator [[Thomas Eagleton]], and after Eagleton withdrew amid revelations concerning past mental health treatment, Nixon renewed those instructions for former ambassador [[Sargent Shriver]], who had become the new candidate for vice president.{{sfn|Coffey|2015|pp= 141–143}}

Nixon took the high road in the campaign, but still wanted McGovern attacked for his positions, and the task fell in part to Agnew. The vice president told the press he was anxious to discard the image he had earned as a partisan campaigner in 1968 and 1970, and wanted to be perceived as conciliatory. He defended Nixon on Watergate, and when McGovern alleged that the Nixon administration was the most corrupt in history, made a speech in South Dakota, describing McGovern as a "desperate candidate who can't seem to understand that the American people don't want a philosophy of defeat and self-hate put upon them".{{sfn|Coffey|2015|pp=141–144}}

The race was never close, as the McGovern/Shriver ticket's campaign was effectively over before it even began. The Nixon/Agnew ticket easily won reelection, winning 49 states (losing only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia) and over 60 percent of the vote. Trying to position himself as the front-runner for 1976, Agnew campaigned widely for Republican candidates, something Nixon would not do. Despite Agnew's efforts, Democrats easily held both houses of Congress, gaining two seats in the Senate, though the Republicans gained twelve in the House.{{sfn|Coffey|2015|pp=144–146}}