Evening star., 1953-08-31
Politicians Planning
1854 Contests; See
Favorable Cmens
By Gould Lincoln

BreSSlOnal anu SuOCIldCOIIdl
nominations officially starts with
party primary elections in Illi-
nois April 13-and closes with
the Republican primaries in
Rhode Island September 90. In
this six-month period, Is States
will nominate their candidates
for the House of Representatives
in primaries, and two. Connec-
ticut and Delaware, will nomi-
nate in conventions.
The voters will elect November
2 next year the entire 435 men,
bers of the House, 35 Senators
and 33 Governors of States. Since
all of the candidates must first
be nominated. Senators and Rep
resentativeS, and some of the
sitting governors, are already
busy rebuilding and strengthen
ing their political fences.
Congressional Control at Stake.
Both the Republican and the
Democratic parties are intent on
offering the voters their strong
est possible candidates, in the
hope of capturing control of the
84th Congress and of taking over
or continuing party administra-
ton in the States. The Demo-
Gratis are buoyed by the fact they
almost equal the Republicans in
strength in the present Congress,
despite the fact that President
Eisenhower carried all except
nine of the 48 States as the Re-
publicanS won last years preSi-
Dental election. Almost invari-
bly-there have been only two
exceptions in the last half CEN
tury-the party in power has lost
Congressional seats in a mid
presidential term election.
The Republicans. on the other
hand, are relying on the great
popularity of Gen. Eisenhower
with the voters and will try to
translate that Eisenhower sup
port into support for their can
didateS for Congress. Their lead
ers insist that the record made
by the Eisenhower adminiStra-
ton and the 83d Congress will
send the voters to the polls in
friendly spirit when the elec-
tions take place next year.
IS Senate Seats Up.
OF the 35 senatorial seats to
be contested, 81 are now held by
Democrats and 13 by Republi-
cans. The Taft vacancy has still
to be filled by Democratic Gov
ernor LauSche of Ohio. There
has been much speculation re-
garding the appointment: First,
whether Gov. Lausche plans to
run for the Senate himself next
year and will name a Democrat
who will step aside for him when
the time comes; second, whether
he will appoint a Republican to
fill the seat of the late ''Mr. Re-
publican'-Senator Bob Taft.
Gov. Lausche has been extreme
ly independent in poliitcs-ard
has been elected Governor four
times, with many Republicans
voting for him.
Three Senators have died
since the 1852 elections. One
Vice President Nixon-haS re-
signed and his Senate seat is
now occupied by Senator Thomas
H. Kuchel, California Republi-
can. In addition to Senator Taft,
the Senate lost by death Senator
Tobey. New Hampshire Repub-
lican, and Senator Willis Smith.
North Carolina Democrat. Sem
ator Smiths term expires IN
January 1854. Ten of the Demo-
cratic Senate seats to be filled
are from States of the Solid
South-where Republican VIC
tory would be political miracle.
Excluding Ohio, the States
where sitting Democrats will be
up for reelection outside of the
South are Illinois, New Mexico,
Iowa, Oklahoma, Montana, West
Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado.
Minnesota, Rhode Island and
Delaware.
Two of the outstanding New
Deal-Fair Deal Democrats up for
reelection are Senators Douglas
of Illinois and Humphrey of
Minnesota. Both have been
strong candidates in their States
in the past. Should they, or
either one of them, be defeated,
it would be an indication of a
further conservative swing in the
country.
On the Republican side. the
only woman member of the Sen
ate. Mrs. Margaret Chase Smith
of Maine, is up for denomination
and she is conceded an excellent
chance of winning both renomi-
nation and reelection. In Maine,
the nominating primaries take
place June 21-and the elec-
tions are held September 13. It
is the only State which does not
ballot next year on November 2.
BarkIey May Run.
A number of Republican Sen
ators may have tough battles to
win reelection. Among them are
Senator Cooper of Kentucky
who may have former Vice Presi-
dent Barkley as an opponent
and Senator Ferguson of Michi-
gan, should Democratic Gov.
Mennen Williams run for the
Senate.
Outstanding Governors whose
terms. expire are Dewey of New
York, Warren of California,
Lausche of Ohio and Williams of
Michigan. Gov. Dewey will have
completed three terms of four
years each. Rumor says he will
seek reelection, though he has
said nothing about it. None of
the other three have declared
their political intentions. AS Of
today, there are 80 Republican
-