A Democrat, Johnson represented Texas in Congress from 1937 to 1961, when he became Vice-President to John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy was assassinated, he was immediately sworn in as President. Johnson acted decisively to restore confidence and pressed Congress to pass the former President’s welfare legislation, especially the civil rights proposals. He won a sweeping victory in the presidential election of 1964, with Hubert Humphrey as Vice-President. The administration introduced an ambitious programme of social and economic reform. It took his considerable negotiating skills to persuade Congress to support his measures, which included medical aid for the aged (Medicare) through a health insurance scheme, housing and urban development, increased spending on education, and federal projects for conservation. In spite of these achievements, urban tension increased. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were assassinated and there were serious race riots in many cities. The USA’s increasing involvement in the Vietnam War overshadowed all domestic reforms, and led Johnson on an increasingly unpopular course involving conscription and high casualties. By 1968 this had forced Johnson to announce that he would not seek re-election.