"[A] Veil of Voodoo": George P. Mahoney, Open Housing, and the Coming of the Southern Strategy

This thesis focuses on George P. Mahoney's opposition to open housing and its implications on the 1966 governor's race in Maryland. During the first half of the 1960s, the United States experienced a rights revolution. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided substantial legislative advances for African Americans; meanwhile, the United States Supreme Court took the role of social activist in cases like Griswold v. Connecticut. However, urban violence and black militancy helped foster a backlash against the rights revolution. Mahoney capitalized on the growing backlash, using his opposition to open housing to garner the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. While he gained the nomination, Mahoney effectively split the Democratic Party for the general election. Many Maryland Democrats found themselves alienated by Mahoney's stand; so much so, they rushed to support the Republican nominee, Spiro T. Agnew. While Mahoney lost the general election, his position on open housing exemplified the growing polarization within the United States during the 1960s. Furthermore, Mahoney's stand highlighted a growing political rift that existed in the Democratic Party, which provided the basis for Richard M. Nixon's southern strategy.

639 In his article, Jacobs mapped out how Mahoney's nomination spelled trouble
for Brewster and Tydings. Jacobs noted that Mahoney's victory turned Tydings
dream of reform into a nightmare. As Jacobs explained, “[Tydings] dreamed of ...