George McGovern No Longer Responsive, Family Says

Nixon challenger near death at South Dakota Hospice

Former Democratic Senator George McGovern, remembered for a devastating defeat by Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election and his efforts to fight world hunger, was near death on Wednesday at a South Dakota hospice center, his family said.

McGovern, 90, was admitted to a hospice suffering from a combination of medical conditions due to age that have worsened in recent months, his family said in a statement.

"The senator is no longer responsive," the statement said. "He is surrounded by his loving family and close friends."