Evening star., 1960-08-28

NC GIlC OldIC Hal dIuCoI-1OuRIlG
election in more than a decade.
Politicians of both parties
concede that the Nixon-Ken-
This ortieIe is one of q series Of
interpretive reports The Stor will
publish during the eompoisn on the
political outlook in key Stotes.l
~
nedy battle could go either
way, despite the fact that Re-
publicans have carried Michi-
gan in every presidential race
since 1914. They also look for
an extremely close contest to
choose a successor to retiring
siX-term Gov. G. Mennen Will
liams, Democrat.
There is even a growing doubt
over the outcome of the Senate
race, where Representative
Bentley, the Republican candi-
date, seems to be closing the
gap on Senator Mcnamara,
who Democrats once counted
an almost certain winner.
No Big Crowds
Neither Vice President Nixon
nor Senator Kennedy drew big
crowds or made significant po-
litical capital on their visits
to Detroit this week to address
the Veterans of Foreign Wars
convention. But they will be
back again at least twice to
make their more direct pitch
for the majority of an expected
3 million votes.
Senator Kennedy opens his
campaign in Detroit and four
other Michigan cities on Labor
Day and will be back for three
more days in october. Mr..
Nixon repeatedly plans four
days of campaigning in the
State, with trips likely in both
September and october.
Democrats are also hoping
their vice presidential nominee,
Senator johnson of Texas, will
stump the State-though that
news might surprise those who
remember the open anger the
Michigan convention delegation
displayed at his nomination.
The canny Democratic State
chairman, Neil Staebler. now
confesses the delegates mis-
judged the reaction to Senator
johnson in their home State.
I'VE expected to come home
from Los Angeles and be bawled
out" he says, "but it hasn't
worked out that way"
G. o. p. Sees Advantage
Republicans still see the
johnson nomination a blunder
which they can exploit for po-
litical gain-Aparticularly among
the Negroes who make up Is
per cent of the Detroit metro
politan area population. Repub-
lican National Committeeman
John B. Martin says the G. o. P.
line will be that Senator john
sons nomination was "a Gym
ical move to appease the South"
on the part Of Senator Ken
nedy.
A pre-convention poll by the
Detroit News gave Senator Ken
nedy a narrow lead over Mr..
Nixon, but Republican leaders
believe the favorable impact
of the G. o. P. convention and
the personal popularity of
Henry Cabot Lodge have al
ready wiped out that Demo-
cratic advantage.
The battle for Michigan's 20
electoral votes will, as usual,
take the form of a struggle be-
tween heavily Democratic
Wayne County Detroit and
suburbs) and the Republican
upstate area.
Republican State Chairman
Lawrence F. Lindemer comedies
Senator Kennedy is likely to
roll up a majority Of 350.000-to-
100000 among Wayne Countys
million voters. To win. Mr..
Nixon will have to make up
that deficit among the 2 mil
lion upstate voters.
Mr.. Eisenhower showed 1t
can be done. In 1856, be lost
Wayne County by 10000 votes,
but gained a 530,000-vote ma
jority upstate to carry Michi-
gan by a comfortable margin.
In that same year. however,
Gov. Williams carried Wayne
County by 100000 votes and
lost only 10000 Of his margin
in the other parts of the State.
G. o. P. Healthier
This years battle finds the
Republican organization much
healthier than it has been for
years. Mr.. Lindemer and Mr..
Martin represent the liberal
wing of the party, which has
been engaged in a bitter civil
war with a conservative fac
ton led by Postmaster General
Arthur B. Summerf1eld, who
has strong allies in the man
agement of Chrysler and Gen
eral Motors.
The dominance of the Mar
tin-Lindemer faction has now
been conceded by Mr.. Summer
field and his friends. Mr..
Lindemer reports that some,
but not all, of his old intra-
party enemies have even re-