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Politics
David Cason, Associate Professor in Honors, University of North Dakota

Preying on white fears worked for Georgia’s Lester Maddox in the ’60s − and is working there for Donald Trump today

Lester Maddox is sworn in as governor of Georgia on Jan. 11, 1967. Bettmann/Getty Images

In January 1967, after a gubernatorial election that saw neither candidate gain enough votes to win, the Georgia Legislature was faced with a vital decision: the selection of the state’s 75th governor during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Legislators chose the candidate who earned the least number of votes and was an ardent segregationist – Democrat Lester Maddox, owner of a chicken restaurant and a perennial candidate.

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