Reply #8: According to what I read [View All]

McGovern was supported by younger grass movement anti-war people (think Obama).

From what I can see there did not seem to be a clear cut opponent.

The more established parts of the party (Labor, Big city mayors etc - think Hillary) thought that McGovern would be destroyed in the general.

They mounted a way to stop it by picking a fight about the seating of the CA delegation.

California's primary had been held in a winner take all format against rule requiring quotas (their words not mine) of minorities.

Since McGovern had barely won the state if the anti-McGovern people had been able to get proportional representation agreed to then it might have made a difference (not at all sure about that though).

McGovern and his supporters though had a strangle hold on the rules/credentials committees and according what I read nothing happened that they did not want to.

All the anti-McGovern votes were defeated, Mayor Daly and his delegates were removed in a credential fight to be replaced by a slate lead by Jessie Jackson.

That is what I was able to ascertain for the most part.