Final answer:
The 1968 and 1972 presidential elections were similar in that both featured Richard Nixon as the Republican candidate, witnessed disarray within the Democratic Party, and were influenced by major national concerns (Vietnam War and Watergate scandal). Nixon's campaign was successful in both instances by creating a new majority.
Step-by-step explanation:
The presidential elections of 1968 and 1972 were similar in a number of ways. A significant likeness between the two was the candidacy of Richard Nixon, who ran as the Republican nominee in both years. Another similarity is the disarray within the Democratic Party, leading to a fractured voting base and difficulty in mounting an effective opposition to Nixon's campaigns.
In both elections, outside of the normal political jockeying, there were major national concerns: the Vietnam War in 1968 and the beginning of the Watergate scandal in 1972. Both elections also reflected shifting political alignments, with Nixon forging a new majority by appealing to moderate southern Democrats, disaffected urban voters, and working-class Whites.