Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-28
HOOVER RETAINS
| STRAW VOTE LEAD
Literary Digest Poll Gives
Him 81 Per Cent of
Ballots.

Hoover again leads Smith in the
second weeks returns from IL States
in The Literary Digests presidential
straw" poll.
Smith is given 92.855 votes. or 81
per cent. and Hoover has 1922, or
81 per cent of the total 294247 votes
received. The 2 per cent remainder
is distributed among the three minor
candidates.
A significant feature of the poll is
that over one-half of Smiths votes to
date have come from former Republican
voters while Hoover has gained only
about II per cent of his strength from
erStwhile Democrats, according to an
in 1924"
Solid South Missing.
No returns are scheduled as having
been received vet from any OF the
States in the solid South" Maryland
shows $3.50 votes for Hoover as against
1895 for Smith.
The Democratic strength in this 1928
poll is twice that of the 1924 poll at the
same relative time and with compare
tive returns. The Literary Digest points
out. Coolidge was then leading Davis
by a margin of over 4 to /, it is said,
while Hoover now leads Smith by to
l. If the Democratic aspirant now
gains similar strength as the present
poll progresses it Is preSaged that the
contest will be closely fought.
While Hoover is leading Smith by
30,814 to 1892 votes in the latter's
native State of New York. 1t is indicat-
ed that these votes are only fraction
of the total to be received and include
as yet none from New York City.
Several details combine to temper
the strongly Republican suggestion OF
this early vote" The Literary Digest
states. Perhaps the most significant Is
that Gov. Smith seems to be drawing
more than one-half of his total vote
from sources which were Republican in
1924. for in his total of 92,855, 1t will
be noted. 33.8l7 Republicans as of 1924
are represented as against only 35,$54
Democrats Nor is this surprising drift
Of Republican counterbalanced by the
Democratic drift to the Republican
candidate.
New York Vote Incomplete.
"An important factor in the first
scattering vote from New York State.
showing as 3O,914 for Hoover to 1892
for Smith. is the fact that the ballots
thus far tabulated come entirely from
QlSIIlClS OuJSlOS "a 1NCW n WY
This more than two-to one vote in
favor of the Republican candidate may
be compared with analogous figures
from the second week of The Literary
Digest poll in 1924. when 1920 New
York votes were shown for Coolidge as
against 2,764 for Davis, a preponderance
of more than five to one as against
two and half to one in the present
poll.
THE actual election vote in New
York State in 1924 gave Davis 950,79
to 1.820058 for Coolidge. while. in the
same election. Smith ran .ahead of
Roosevelt by 1.627.111 to 1,518,552. The
vote of New York City. generally adj
mitted to be strongly for Smith. will
begin to appear in these columns in
the near future, together with the vote
of the Solid South as yet unreported.
"These factors, Judging on the basis
of the 1924 poll, may be expected con-
siderably to cut down the Republican
lead, if not to bring the two candi-
dates to practical parity.
I'm all considerations of The Literary
Digest poll at the second weeks stage,
it must be remembered that 1t shows
approximately twice the Democratic
strength shown by the 1924 poll at the
same stage"