In 1960, the Republican National Convention opens in Chicago, Illinois. The party remains bitterly split between partisans of Richard Nixon and Joseph McCarthy. However, the primaries have given Nixon a clear edge in delegates, and three days later, after several ballots, he will be nominated. In a bid to draw votes in the Northeast, where his support is weak, Nixon will select former Massachusetts Senator and current U.S. representative to the United Nations Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his running mate. McCarthy's backers will angrily denounce this choice as a sellout to the party's 'Eastern establishment, but will be brought into line by Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, who argues the importance of 'a united party leading a united America.'