Robert S. Kerr Exhibit, Panel 8 Waste no effort watering last year's crop. S hortly after Bob Kerr entered the Senate, talk of a bid for the presidency began. In January 1952, President Truman persuaded Kerr to enter the Nebraska primary as his stand-in against Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. After being soundly defeated, Kerr realized his only real hope was a deadlocked Democratic convention.
Supporters strove to give the campaign momentum.
Campaign paraphernalia depicted a log cabin indicative of the candidate's humble beginnings. Indeed, a cardboard replica of the cabin was constructed at the convention, and the senator posed for many pictures at its door. But Kerr s candidacy was over after the first ballot, primarily because of his reputation as a special interest senator. Kerr never tried for the White House again. He concentrated his efforts on the Senate and Oklahoma.