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Draft:Estes Kefauver 1952 presidential campaign

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Estes Kefauver For President
Campaign1952 United States presidential election (Democratic primaries)
CandidateEstes Kefauver
United States Senator from Tennessee
(1949–1963)
AffiliationDemocratic Party
StatusAnnounced: January 23, 1952
SloganI'm Looking Over Estes Kefauver[1]

The 1952 presidential campaign of Estes Kefauver, United States Senator from Tennessee, was formally launched on January 23, 1952, as Senator Kefauver announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party nomination against incumbent Harry S. Truman for the presidency of the United States in the 1952 presidential election. (Mention opposition against him and his defeat of Truman)

Background

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For the first twenty years of Kefauver's political career, he was mostly unknown at the national level until he headed the Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce which televised hearings in fourteen cities and heard testimony from over 600 witnesses. As many Americans were first buying televisions causing Kefauver's national profile to rise.[2] Although the investigation propelled him to the national stage his investigations into organized crime involved leading members of the Democratic Party and was blamed for Democratic losses in the House and Senate which included Senate Majority Leader Scott W. Lucas losing reelection.[3]

Despite multiple draft organizations asking him to run for the presidency Kefauver repeatedly refused to and throughout 1951 made statements that he was not interested in running and demanded that the circulation of petitions attempting to place his name on the Oregon primary ballot be stopped, however in November he allowed petitions to place his name on the California primary to continue.[4]

Supporters of the Draft Eisenhower movement had filed petitions to place Eisenhower's name onto the New Hampshire ballot but needed him to affirm whether he would run in the Democratic or Republican primaries. On January 7, 1956, he announced that he would run as a Republican leaving the Democratic presidential primary open for other candidates.[5]

Announcement

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Following Kefauver's announcement Senators Hubert Humphrey and Brien McMahon announced that they would run as pro-Truman favorite sons.

On January 23, 1952, Kefauver announced his candidacy, becoming the first Democrat to announce, in Washington, D.C. stating that he was in the race to the end and that he would not accept the vice presidential nomination if offered, and despite the largest rally in Tennessee for Kefauver being attended by less than 1,000 people a Stop-Kefauver movement was formed by Senators Hubert Humphrey and Brien McMahon who placed themselves onto the Minnesota and Illinois ballots as pro-Truman favorite sons.[6][7][8][9] At the time of his announcement his supporters had already gotten him onto the Illinois ballot and he planned to place his name on the Wisconsin, Ohio, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, and California ballots.[10]

Despite Kefauver's support of civil rights he was viewed as a comprised candidate for conservative Southern Democrats who opposed Truman for desegregating the military and was later invited to a dinner with Texas Democrats which included Governor Allan Shivers, the leader of anti-Truman Democrats in Texas.[11][12]

Campaign developments

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Truman ignored the primaries and did not actively campaign, but chose to keep his name on the ballots. Kefauver heavily campaign in New Hampshire with Charles L. Fontenay stating that he "plodded doggedly through the New Hampshire snow, soliciting individual votes like a country constable". [13]

Florida was the only southern state to hold a primary.[14]

Fontenay stated that both Russell and Kefauver were harmed by the results of the Florida primary. Russell's poor urban performance "did not support his claim to possess non-regional appeal" while Kefauver's defeat ended his "legend of invincibility at the polls".[14]

Kefauver had the most delegates going into the convention, but lacked a majority. He attempted to court W. Averell Harriman and gain the support of the New York delegation, but Harriman had already agreed to give his support to Stevenson. Kefauver placed first during the first and second ballots and attempted to withdraw before the third ballot, but Clarence Cannon and Sam Rayburn refused to allow him to speak to the convention. Fontenay stated that to the viewing audience "it appeared that the party management was deliberately humiliating the man who, with a few words, could have stopped his supporters' last-ditch fight and resolved the nomination in reasonable harmony". Stevenson was below a majority after the third ballot, but Kefauver, now allowed to speak, withdrew and called for party unity.[15]

Kefauver was considered as a vice-presidential nominee, but the idea was vetoed by Truman and Kefauver was uninterested.[16]

Earl Black and Merle Black stated that Kefauver was the first southerner to seek the Democratic presidential nomination through a national campaign rather than a regional one. They also stated that his strategies were later used by Jimmy Carter's successful presidential campaign in the 1976 election.[17]

Endorsements

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List of political endorsements
Organizations
U.S. Congress

References

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  1. ^ "Alliteration Is Reputation". The New Yorker. April 19, 1952. Archived from the original on 2019-06-02.
  2. ^ "It Pays To Organize". Time. March 12, 1951. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  3. ^ "Kefauver Ready to Declare Candidacy?". The Republic. 23 January 1952. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Kefauver Clubs Set To Back Their Man". The La Crosse Tribune. 27 January 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Presidential Primaries, 1952".
  6. ^ "Kefauver Is In Demo Race 'To Finish'". Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. 24 January 1952. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Kefauver Reveals Candidacy; Observers Say Truman In, Too". Palladium-Item. 24 January 1952. p. 17. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ ""WASHINGTON REPORT"". The Bristol Daily Courier. 23 January 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Stop-Kefauver Drive On, Says Sen. Douglas". Dayton Daily News. 24 January 1952. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Kefauver Name To Be Presented Nebraska Voters". The Tennessean. January 28, 1956. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Kefauver - The Best Hope To Restore Democratic Party Integrity". Tampa Bay Times. 27 January 1952. p. 14. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "State Democrats Set To Welcome Estes Kefauver". Denton Record Chronicle. 27 January 1952. p. 1. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 100.
  14. ^ a b Black & Black 1992, p. 101.
  15. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 101-102.
  16. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 102-103.
  17. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 99-100.
  18. ^ "Kefauver Jubilant Over Endorsement Of Textile Workers". Daily News. 22 April 1952. p. 1. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b "The Greatest Campaigner of Them All: Senator Estes Kefauver, Part Eight". Archived from the original on 3 June 2019.

Works cited

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