Evening star., 1953-12-08
The Political Mil
The Political Mill
Luusehe May Have Eye
On the National Ticket
Governorship Better
Steppingstone Than Senate
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
Gov. Frank Lausche Of Ohio prefers
to run for q fifth term for Governor.
His decision clears the decks for SEN
ator Tom Burke his own appointee for
the Senate vacancy caused by the death
Of Senator Taft, to seek the Demo-
cratic senatorial nomination next year.
1t has been well understood that Gov.
Lausche could run either for reelection
or for the Senate, and that Burke would
be candidate for the Office not selected
by LauSche.
Two reasons have been advanced for
Lausche'S determination to run for
Governor again, and not for the Senate.
Neither of them, however, is attribut-
able to the Governor. First, by remain-
ing as Governor. if he wins reelection,
Gov. Lausche keeps himself in the pic
ture for place on the Democratic
national ticket in 1856. AS a five-time
Governor of the big State of Ohio.
LauSche would be far more eligible for
a presidential or vice presidential
nomination than if he were one of 96
Senators, and a very junior Senator at
that. Second. it would be far easier for
Lausche to win for Governor than for
Senator. Running for Governor he has
had support of thousands of Republican
and independent voters, support which
would not likely be his for the Office of
Senator.
Disable May Run.
The Lausche announcement gives
the Democrats, also, an opportunity
to I'LL their State and congressional
tickets. Potential candidates for Gov
ernor and Senator were hogtied, until
the Governor made his own plans
known. Mike Disable, for example, is
believed to have ambitions to run for
the Senate. He was an unsuccessful
candidate for that office last year, run
ming against Republican Senator John
w. Bricker. If he becomes a candidate
for the senatorial nomination against
Burke next year, it will bring on q
real contest. Both men are good cam
paigners. Burke has an Irish wit that
can match the wisecracking of Disable.
The Republicans, of course, would be
delighted to see a race between these
two Democrats. The presumption Is
that Gov. Lausche would back Burke
for the senatorial nomination.
The Republicans of Ohio have their
own problem, however. They must pick
candidates for Governor and Senator.
Senator Brlcker, outstanding as a Re-
publican leader and vote-getter, who
has just returned from a trip to South
America. indicated there has so far
been no crystallization on candidates
and that the field is still wide open.
Representative George Bender is cer-
tain to get into the race for the Re-
publican senatorial nomination-unless
he changes present plans. Others whose
names have been mentioned as possi-
BILE contenders for the Republican Sem
atorial nomination include Represent
atlve Clarence Brown, veteran House
leader and member of the important
Rules Committee and Robert Taft, jr..
who is practicing law in Cincinnati.
1t is believed, however, that Mr. Brown
prefers to continue in the House, and
that Mr.. Taft. who has not held po-
litical office. will not seek the nomina.
ton, despite the fact he is being
urged to do so.
Bender Is Popular.
Mr. Bender, always a strong SUD-
porter of the late Senator Taft several
times was elected as q Representative
at Large from Ohio, running strongly
each time. He is widely known, there
fore, to the Ohio electorate. The Ohio
Senate seat is must" for the Repub-
licans in the coming congressional
elections, if they are to regain their
lead in the upper house of Congress.
Unless the Eisenhower administration
takes nose dive in the next 10 months,
the Republicans are confident they can
carry the Buckeye State for Senator.
They are, however, quite we'll satisfied
to have LauSche run for Governor, not
Senator. They don't mind having him
for Governor as much as they would
dislike having him in the Senate.
Lausche defeated Charles Taft, brother
of the late Senator, in 1852 with lead
of some 425,000 votes, while Senator
Bricker was being elected by 325,0O0
and President Eisenhower was sweep
ing the State. This would appear to
doom any aspiration that Charles Taft
might have for the Senate. The Repub-
licans in Ohio are divided in their opin-
ion Of him and have been for some
time.
Williams Decision Due.
Another Democratic Governor. G.
Mennen Williams of Michigan, must
soon announce his intentions, too, either
to run for reelection or for the Senate
against Senator Homer Ferguson, Re-
publican, who is up for reelection next
year. Gov. Williams, like Lausche, would
find the Governors chair better step
pingstone to place on the Democratic
national ticket. A glance at the record
of Democratic presidential nominations
over the last 40 years shows that the
Democrats often have turned to Gov
ernors as their standard bearers. In
1912 they nominated for President Gov.
Wilson of New Jersey, and renominated
Wilson in 1916. They picked Gov. Cox
of Ohio in 1920 and skipped Governor
in 1924 to nominate John w. Davis. In
1928, they nominated Gov. AL Smith Of
New York. and in 1882 their nominee
was Franklin D. Roosevelt. a Gov