National Affairs: Senate Prospects

• Share

(2 of 2)

NEW JERSEY. In the campaign to succeed Republican Senator Robert Hendrickson, who is retiring. G.O.P. Candidate Clifford Case has repeatedly been smeared by Joe McCarthy's hard-core following. His opponent, Representative Charles Howell, is a harmless party hack who has the help of a revivified Democratic state organization.

KENTUCKY. On form, in a normally staunch Democratic state, former Vice President Alben Barkley figures to win over Republican Incumbent John Sherman Cooper. But Cooper is immensely popular and has distinguished himself as a Senator. He should not be counted out of the running.

ILLINOIS. Democratic Senator Paul Douglas pits his tireless economic-scare talk against Republican Candidate Joseph Meek's tireless small talk. Meek is a superior performer on the handshaking, curbstone level; Douglas is better in formal speeches.

OHIO. Republican Candidate George Bender leads; Democratic Senator Thomas Burke is gaining. Bender depends heavily on the Eisenhower popularity. Burke on that of Democratic Governor Frank Lausche. Ohio is generally Republican, and the G.O.P. has a good chance to pick up a key seat.

IOWA. Senator Guy Gillette, 75, is the most successful Democrat in Iowa's history, but G.O.P. Candidate Thomas Martin, who is giving up a House seat held for eight terms, has been campaigning for nearly two years, has made few mistakes, and has the state's normal Republicanism working for him. He might topple Gillette.

MONTANA. Senator James Murray, 78, a New Dealer, faces charges of socialism from Republican Representative Wesley D'Ewart, who is widely known and liked. Jim Murray has become habitual to Montanans; D'Ewart is making a stiff uphill fight.

OREGON. Republican Senator Guy Cordon (who was introduced by House Speaker Joe Martin, visiting in Oregon, as "Cy Gordon") is running scared, with good reason. Democratic Candidate Richard Neuberger, a free-lance writer, has filled the air with protests against what he calls the Eisenhower "giveaway" program on natural resources. Gadfly Senator Wayne Morse is campaigning hard for Neuberger. Oregon usually goes Republican; Cordon needs a good performance from his party's state organization.

CALIFORNIA. Republican Senator Thomas Kuchel, appointed by Earl Warren to succeed Dick Nixon, is quiet and dull. Democratic Candidate Sam Yorty is loud and dull. Neither is well known in the state. Kuchel had a good lead, but Yorty has made gains.

The odds are slightly less than 50-50 for the Republicans to win—as they must—in five of the nine key states. Even under the best of conditions, they can hardly hope to do better than that. The Democrats, on the other hand, would need only a medium-sized national groundswell to take seven or eight of the nine—which is about as fair a Senate prospect as any politician could ask for this year.