Several Liberal cabinet ministers had quit politics during the previous term, including some who were uncomfortable with Robichaud's policies.

Van Horne, whose cowboy hat had become his trademark to voters, had faced several lawsuits over his personal financial matters during the 1960s which caused him to sell his hotel in Campbellton, but claimed they had all been settled.

He had pledged to increase health care and education funding while reducing taxes, with no answer as to how it would be accomplished.

With the entire campaign focused on attacking Van Horne, he used a dramatic effect of listing all of the Conservatives' promises on paper and unfurling it across a room.

In the final days of the campaign, two Toronto newspapers ran unflattering articles about Van Horne, to which he threatened to sue the authors.