Already committed to enter the Minnesota presidential primary next March 20, Adlai Stevenson last week announced plans to run in at least four more states: Illinois on April 10, Pennsylvania on April 24, Florida on May 29, and California on June 5. Said Stevenson: “These primaries were selected to provide for expressions of preference on a regional basis in the East, Midwest, South and West.”
But Stevenson took more than the compass into account in picking his spots: he also made shrewd use of the political barometer. His choice of primaries offers a minimum of risk, yet gives him a chance to satisfy demands that he test himself at the polls. In Minnesota, he will have the almost unbeatable organization of Senator Hubert Humphrey going all-out for him; on his home ground in Illinois, he will be a favorite son; in Pennsylvania, the primary is made to order for organization control, and Stevenson has in his corner every state leader, including Governor George Leader, Pittsburgh’s Mayor David Lawrence and Philadelphia’s Mayor Richardson Dilworth.
Thus, only Florida and California hold a chance for an upset—and they, not much. Florida’s popular Governor LeRoy Collins leans toward Stevenson, and the state’s anti-Collins faction is led by ex-Governor Fuller Warren, a hater of Estes Kefauver from the days of the Kefauver investigating committee. Kefauver has kept up his Miami contacts, and some observers believe he can still carry that city; elsewhere in Florida his star has dimmed. In California, Stevenson has already lined up nearly all Democratic leaders, including most of those who supported Kefauver in 1952.
In announcing his plans, Stevenson made clear that he had “reached no final decision at this time regarding possible entry into other state primaries.” In some states he would have little choice, e.g., Oregon, which permits a candidate’s name to be entered without his consent.
Stevenson will also be under heavy pressure—mostly from those who wish him no good—to enter other primaries, especially the prestige-packed Wisconsin race. On the ground that he will be too busy in Minnesota, which comes two weeks before the April 3 Wisconsin primary, Stevenson hopes to stay clear of Wisconsin. For this, he has good cause: a survey recently turned over to him by a supporter, former U.S. Representative Andrew Biemiller, indicates that Estes Kefauver might very well beat Stevenson in Wisconsin.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- 11 New Books to Read in February
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Cecily Strong on Goober the Clown
- Column: The Rise of America’s Broligarchy
- Introducing the 2025 Closers
Contact us at letters@time.com