Republicans: It's the Right Thing'

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Albany regulars suddenly became aware that for months Mrs. Rockefeller had been little in evidence. What they could not have known was that Rockefeller and his wife were headed for a divorce.

Mrs. Rockefeller had never been much interested in politics or in being in the limelight. As Rockefeller's political ambitions grew, so did the gap between his interests and Tod's. When Rocky first made known his plans for divorce, his wife, his brothers and his advisers tried to get him to change his mind—but Rockefeller was adamant. The November announcement of the marital breakup came like political thunder. Then, less than 48 hours later, came word of the loss of the Rockefellers' youngest son, Michael, in the waters off New Guinea, and the Governor's futile and compulsive race to the Far East.

On his return from New Guinea, a stricken Rockefeller threw himself into his job, working harder than he ever had in his life. He managed to dispose of 300 bills during a successful legislative session, took action on another 1,000 during the 30-day bill-signing ordeal that New York imposes on its Governors. Then he began a bone-wearying round of regional planning trips around the state, making speeches, presiding at dedications, and attending policy meetings. Often, he got only four or five hours of sleep a night; occasionally he became numb and bristly.

The Unlucky Brushes. Meanwhile, Rockefeller's prestige had suffered several blows. Despite Rocky's all-out support.

New York City's Republican Mayoralty Candidate Louis Lefkowitz got badly beaten by Mayor Wagner. Rocky was equally unlucky in his other brushes with the mayor. When he called a special legislative session to suspend the New York City school board and set up a new one, his proposal contained technical errors—and he was forced to retreat to a plan similar to Wagner's. In the New York City bus strike, he drew criticism for not acting quickly enough on legislation that would enable the city to take over the lines.

Rockefeller managed to make himself seem inconsistent on the national scene as well. He lashed out in Des Moines at Kennedy's proposal for a department of urban affairs—then was publicly reminded that he had previously favored such a department. (He does not favor it "in its present form"—but few voters got the distinction.) And when Mary Rockefeller went to Reno—at the Governor's request —politicians began counting the vote losses in the thousands every time the press printed a picture of her.

The effect of the divorce on his future became the U.S.'s No. 1 political guessing game. Rocky himself was—and is—noncommittal. "I think," says Rockefeller, "we should let the voters comment on that in November." But he is acutely aware that the New York election returns will be closely analyzed for signs of the divorce's impact. And he is confident that the decision will be in his favor; a poll several weeks after the divorce showed that his popularity had dropped only a meager 2%.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that remarriage could be a serious political mistake.

In hopes of burying the issue of divorce with a big victory in New York, Rockefeller has long since started campaigning.