Patsy Mink

At the request of Oregon liberals, Mink agreed in September 1971 to have her name appear on the Oregon presidential ballot to provide a platform to discuss opposition to the Vietnam War, force previous Democratic front-runner George McGovern to resume his antiwar focus, and hold the state’s liberal votes together until its delegates reached the convention that summer. Mink also felt a need to challenge sexist views that only men should run for the presidency. Mink received more than five thousand votes in the Oregon primary on May 23 and smaller numbers in Maryland (573) and Wisconsin (913), where selecting officials placed her name on the ballot. She made no effort to have her name placed into nomination at the Democratic National Convention.