Why was Senator Robert F. Kennedy an important political figure when he was assassinated in 1968?

He was a Senator from New York which is a large, influential state. When he was killed, he was running for president as a Democrat against Lyndon Johnson. Students were protesting against the war and the draft. Eugene McCarthy tested the waters and after McCarthy did unexpectedly well in the primaries Bobby Kennedy jumped in. He seemed to be on his way to winning the Democratic nomination. With his money and connections and his Kennedy charm, he would have had a very very good chance of being elected President, and people could that fact- so he was an important figure to be sure.