Evening star., 1961-05-29
Tower Is First 6. o. P. Senator
From State Since Reconstruction
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
ton. Sen. Blakley and Mr..
Tower tried to outdo each
other in bidding for the con-
servative vote, Representative
Wright and State Attorney
General Will Wilson appealed
to the middle-of-the-road vote,
while State Senator Henry B.
Gonzalez and former State
Representative Maury Nav
erick, jr., wooed the liberals.
Mr.. Tower led the first elec-
ton with 31.5 per cent of the
one million one hundred thou
sand votes cast, followed by
Mr.. Blakley with 18 per cent.
The other four major Demo-
Gratis polled AZ per cent.
Democratic Strength Split
Political professionals say the
Democrats made their first
mistake when they failed to
recognize Mr.. Towers strength
and failed to narrow the field
of candidates before the April
election. If such an effort
was made, it failed.
Had the Democrats been
able to concentrate on a mod
crate who could have appealed
to both liberal and conserva-
tive wings of the party, Mr..
Tower might never have gotten
into the runoff.
The only outsiders Mr.. Tower
invited to help him were con-
ServativeS-Senator Goldwater
of Arizona, Senator Morton OF
Kentucky, the retiring G. o. P.
national chairman, and Rep
resentative Judd of Minnesota.
MIR. Tower once invited former
Vice President Nixon to cam
paign for him but had second
thoughts, obviously to the ef-
feet that Mr.. Nixon was not
conservative enough to suit the
candidate.
Mr.. Nixon did not go into
the State buS Mr.. Tower flew
to Gettysburg, Pa, recently to
get the public Endorsement Of
former President Eisenhower.
MIR. Eisenhower carried Texas
in 1852 and 1856. Mr.. Nixon
lost it in the 1860 presidential
contest by about $4,000 votes.
MY election shows that the
people of Texas have reacted
against being dictated to by
professional politicians" Mr..
Tower said.
Senator Goldwater said in
Phoenix that Mr.. Towers elec-
ton indicates a graSs-rootS
feeling against the Kennedy
administration" He said the
feeling is not only limited to
Texas "but has spread across
the Nation"
To Senator Morton, the vic
tory mot only signals a new
era in Texas politics but a re-
birth of RepublicaniSHn in the
solid South"
Senator Miller, Republican of
Iowa, echoed this, calling the
victory the beginning of a real
two-party system in the South.
Senator Marlborough. Texas
senior Senator. said the elec-
ton had no real national sig
nificance. He called it a per-
sonal victory for hard
campaigning young man
against an older man, but said
1t was possible only because
Democrats who believe in
President Kennedy's program
had no one to vote for.
Senator Marlborough pointed
out that the total vote was less
than the 937, 900 votes cast for
Mr.. Tower alone last Novem-
ber. He said 2 million voters
had paid their poll taxes for
this year, but more than mil
lion of them stayed home.
Senator Blakley, in the run
off, had the task Of holding his
conservative support and at the
same time trying to arouse suf-
ficient enthusiasm among the
middle-of -the-roaderS and lib
erals to get them to the polls.
Saturdays results - which
saw the Democratic percentage
drop from the 68.5 per cent in
the April 4 race to 49.55-in-
dicate he failed to do both.
Some liberals said they would
vote for Mr.. Tower because 1t
would strengthen the position
of Senator Marlborough, a lib
eral Democrat, in the Senate; |
many other liberals went fish
ing on election day. And some
conservatives who might have
voted for Senator Blakely April
4 to keep a moderate or liberal
out of the runoff, apparently
found Mr.. Towers brand Of
conservatism more to their
liking in the second election.