The staunch conservative Goldwater was widely seen in the liberal Northeastern United States as a right - wing extremist ; he had voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 .
The Johnson campaign portrayed Goldwater as a warmonger who as president would provoke a nuclear war .
The staunch conservative Goldwater was widely seen in the liberal Northeastern United States as a right - wing extremist ; he had voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , and the Johnson campaign portrayed him as a warmonger who as president would provoke a nuclear war .