Raccoon's triumph, how Estes Kefauver won 1952's presidential election

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Episode one: Democratic National Convention

July 21, 1952, Chicago:
After harsh primaries that had caused President Truman's fall, the front runner was Senator Estes Kefauver. His political history was striking. He was a southern liberal and had won senatorial democratic primaries in Tennessee over a more conservative candidate from the Dixiecrat establishment. In the Senate, he had fought and beaten Las Vegas' mafia in a live TV trial. His coonskin cap was known all around the United States. The Crump machine, that had controlled the Tennessean Democratic Party for years, was collapsing. This political machine was similar to another one: the Pendergast machine. It had controlled another southern Democratic Party for years, the Missourian, and borned a major political figure: President Harry S Truman. Truman came from the establishment, and set great value on pragmatism, while Kefauver was an idealist outsider. Truman's unpopularity and incapacity to find an heir combined with Kefauver's charism and national coverage let the latter win most of caucuses and primaries election. Truman had declined to run for reelection, but was fiercely fighting Kefauver's campaign. He feared that a southern nominee would forfeit support from African-American, and above all, he still had not stomached his loss to him in New Hampshire.

Presidential balloting, first call:
Estes Kefauver: 300.5
Adlai Stevenson: 248.5
Richard Russell Jr.: 267.5
W. Averell Harriman: 126
Alben W. Barkley: 49.5
Robert S. Kerr: 69
Paul A. Dever: 37.5
G. Mennen Williams: 40.5
Hubert Humphrey: 26
J. William Fulbright: 22
Brien McMahon: 16
James E. Murray: 12
Harry S. Truman: 6
Oscar R. Ewing: 4
Paul Douglas: 3
William O. Douglas: 0.5
Not Voting: 1.5

Political bosses and Truman were talking in a private room. Truman's plan was ton convince Harriman to withdraw and back Stevenson. Harriman served as Truman's Secretary of Commerce, and was loyal to him. The only backdoor for Kefauver would be to find a agreement with conservative Senator Russell. A southern alliance couldn't win alone, especially if they had conservative views.

But it was too late, Senator Russell had already persuaded former Secretary Harriman to back him. He promised him to be his running mate. Truman was already furious, but another treason would happen. HIS Vice-President Alben Barkley, was backing "Cow-fever". Barkley and Kefauver were both Southerner that had to fight the state establishment. Barkley used to be seen as a southern liberal, because of his support to President Wilson, so was Kefauver because of his support to President Roosevelt. The President was fulminating during the second call.
 
Presidential balloting, second call:
Richard Russell Jr.: 367.5
Estes Kefauver: 356
Adlai Stevenson: 268.5
Robert S. Kerr: 69
Paul A. Dever: 37.5
G. Mennen Williams: 40.5
Hubert Humphrey: 26
J. William Fulbright: 22
Brien McMahon: 16
James E. Murray: 12
Harry S. Truman: 6
Oscar R. Ewing: 4
Paul Douglas: 3
William O. Douglas: 0.5
Not Voting: 1.5

Harry Truman was feeling cornered. What could he do ? He had a personal resentment against Kefauver, but Russell was more conservative. Stevenson, who was his candidate by default and who did not actually want to run, was on the verge to withdraw. Something persuaded President Truman. One of his friend had heard a private talk in a corridor of the International Amphitheatre. In order to compete with nominee Eisenhower's military experience, Russell was considering breaking his promise and offering Douglas MacArthur to be his running mate. Truman exploded. His resentment against Kefauver was infinitesimal compared with his hatred of MacArthur. He wanted to meet the Senator from Tennessee as soon as possible. Talks were short. Truman accepted to back Kefauver at one condition, he had to pick Maurice J. Tobin as running mate. He had always been loyal to Truman, and was a Northern liberal that could balance the ticket. Truman was still persuaded that Kefauver was a hidden conservative. Tobin's connection with trade union would guarantee that the industrial Northern working class remains democratic. Kefauver accepted without negotiations. However he feared potential attacks on this ticket. He had already faced accusation of socialism. Running with a Secretary of Labour favouring Unions in an anticommunist atmosphere wouldn't be easy.

Presidential balloting, last call:
Estes Kefauver: 624.5
Richard Russell Jr.: 367.5
Robert S. Kerr: 69
Paul A. Dever: 37.5
G. Mennen Williams: 40.5
Hubert Humphrey: 26
J. William Fulbright: 22
Brien McMahon: 16
James E. Murray: 12
Harry S. Truman: 6
Oscar R. Ewing: 4
Paul Douglas: 3
William O. Douglas: 0.5
Not Voting: 1.5

He did it, Estes Kefauver was the nominee. Secretary Tobin ran without opposition for the Vice-President selection.

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Sorry for the language mistakes, I'm not english speaking

[BL53931]

Kefauver is an interesting character. Very able but- also somewhat flawed. He apparently had a huge alcohol problem, although that became worse later in his career.

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Part 2, Early Campaign

In their platform, the Democrats had favored a strong national defense, collective security against the Soviet Union, multilateral disarmament, repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, equal employment opportunities for minorities and public assistance for the aged, children, blind, and the disabled, expansion of the school lunch program, and continued efforts to fight racial discrimination. Both Kefauver and Tobin were accused by Republicans of being Socialists. The democratic platform was heavily criticized by Joseph MacCarthy, who was playing a predominant role in Eisenhower campaign to the great displeasure of Ike.



Republican bosses wanted MacCarthy to be so predominant because Tobin was a catholic. Anticommunism resentment was strong among them, and their strategy was to corner Kefauver in the deep south, so they needed to reduce the democratic ticket's attractivness to them.
Another republican objective was to corner Kefauver about the Korean War. It was bloody and very unpopular, but if Kefauver spoke against it, they could call him a coward toward commies, or worse. If he spoke for the war, they'd argue that an experienced General would be the best commander-in-chief



Kefauver had targeted five communities he wanted his campaign to focus on:
- White Working Class. He claimed to be New Deal's heir, and had a progressive platform. Tobin was close to unions.
- Catholics. His running mate was a catholic and had connection with all the influent members of the Irish community. To counter MacCarthy's accusation, he had adopted a hard line towards USSR. He reluctantly supported the Korean War, in the name of the Truman Doctrine. He couldn't be both a pacifist and an economic progressive.

Maurice Tobin, former Mayor of Boston, former Governor of Massachusetts, Secratary of Labor and Democratic candidate for Vice-Presidency
- Southener. Unlike 1948 election, the south didn't rebel, despite the progressive platform. Kefauver had terrible relationships with southern bosses, but was from Tennessee. Southern voters were proud to be represented by a southern candidate, and his coonskin cap
- Ethnic minorities. As the south was granted to him, he could (moderately) criticize racial discriminations. The key was not to be focused only on African-Americans. He spoke also about discriminations towards Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans or French-Americans.
- Puritans. Integrity was an major campaign theme. Eisenhower's running mate Richard Nixon was nicknamed Tricky Dick by Californian Democrats, whereas Kefauver Committee had investigated organized crime successfully, defeating the Mafia and Chicago political machine.

[Pragmatist_TNAG]

This looks great

I was part of a RP where Kefauver won the nomination here