The 1948 Elections in Oregon

Abstract

O REGON in 1948 distinguished itself by being the sole Western state to live up to Republican expectations and deliver a winning GOP ticket. And this it did in full measure. The Republican party elected the entire delegation to the Congress, placed all but one of its candidates for state office and took seventy of the ninety seats in the legislature, and fully three-fourths of the county offices. Yet the registered voters included only 347,175 Republicans as against 334,784 Democrats. In four elections this had been Roosevelt's state. This year, the Republican primary attracted exceptional attention, both in the state and in the nation at large. Oregon was the last state to select its delegates by popular vote prior to the national conventions. Harold E. Stassen and Thomas E. Dewey were the candidates for the preferential vote of the state in the Republican primary. Stassen had shown his vote-getting abilities in Wisconsin and Nebraska. Dewey had a last chance to make a good showing or be counted out of the presidential race-at least, that was the opinion of political observers, and certainly the candidate worked on that hypothesis. No longer was he coy and diffident; he became the most aggressive candidate this state has seen for some time. Stassen had visited Oregon on two occasions, and had made a number of political speeches. He created a favorable impression by his forthrightness, and the first polls gave him an early lead. Dewey stepped into the picture about three weeks before the primary elections. He campaigned up and down the state; every village and crossroads hamlet was honored by his visit. He met and mingled with people just as the candidates for sheriff were doing. His campaign made inroads on Stassen's strength; this candidate too returned to the hustings, and the paths of the two aspirants crossed many times. Stassen had previously challenged his opponent to debate the issues of the campaign; the latter, whose plans were carefully made, always had previous commitments. Finally, about a week before the primary, Dewey agreed to the debate, provided that the subject be the sole question of the outlawry of the Communist party and that the procedure be changed to give Dewey the last rebuttal speech. Stassen fell into the trap, accepted the conditions, and came out second-best. Dewey emerged as the champion of freedom of speech and expression. Stassen appeared willing to curtail certain fundamental rights of citizens. Without doubt, the debate cost the challenger the preferential vote of the party in the state. 121