1956 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Selection of the Democratic Party nominee June 2025 September 2011 April 2025 1956 Democratic Party presidential primaries United States 1912 primary no 1952 Democratic Party presidential primaries 1952 1960 Democratic Party presidential primaries 1960 March 11 to June 5, 1956 File:Adlai Stevenson (1).jpg Adlai Stevenson II 1E90FF Illinois 7 3,069,504 50.7% File:Estes Kefauver (1).jpg 160x160px ffd12b Estes Kefauver Tennessee 9 2,283,172 37.7% 1956DemocraticPresidentialPrimaries.svg 350px Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Stevenson II From March 11 to June 5, 1956, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1956 United States presidential election. Former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson was selected as the nominee through a series of primary electionsLogin Sage Publications https://sso.sagepub.com/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2Fconnect%2Fauthorize%2Fcallback%3Facr_values%3Dlogin%253Ainteractive%26response_type%3Dcode%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flibrary.cqpress.com%252Flogin.php%26client_id%3DCQLibrary.Web%26nonce%3D87ff21a0c458ffd81f1e580fc80ce5e1%26state%3D610a80e7553c83390b0d007602fabb6f%26scope%3Dinstitution%2520openid%26code_challenge%3DXLMCR-sP6udUaSex-oGGxR2yqdgFCL2_JbuGlm-VtwI%26code_challenge_method%3DS256 2024-05-22 sso.sagepub.com and caucuses culminating in the 1956 Democratic National Convention held from August 13 to August 17, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois.Login Sage Publications https://sso.sagepub.com/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2Fconnect%2Fauthorize%2Fcallback%3Facr_values%3Dlogin%253Ainteractive%26response_type%3Dcode%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flibrary.cqpress.com%252Flogin.php%26client_id%3DCQLibrary.Web%26nonce%3Dff02d91b1b0dc202b8608433bbaa6f4a%26state%3D7b4c1b0b6f239e77a486b453e62f02c6%26scope%3Dinstitution%2520openid%26code_challenge%3DdbPML3e1VqrjbMbVDerhbgI0PTKZApSKYWkBOdchZb8%26code_challenge_method%3DS256 2024-05-22 sso.sagepub.com This was the party's second consecutive nomination of Stevenson.Login Sage Publications https://sso.sagepub.com/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2Fconnect%2Fauthorize%2Fcallback%3Facr_values%3Dlogin%253Ainteractive%26response_type%3Dcode%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flibrary.cqpress.com%252Flogin.php%26client_id%3DCQLibrary.Web%26nonce%3Dcab0ee9955d1affb415f4566c64c3e4b%26state%3De5c1d245c0e760543cf6c3794ef59c00%26scope%3Dinstitution%2520openid%26code_challenge%3DJGSOn8ypuuPcC0mDtflT-ftt7q1ye7tvmeGZqV3gJSY%26code_challenge_method%3DS256 2024-05-22 sso.sagepub.com Candidates Major candidates These candidates participated in multiple state delegate election contests or were included in multiple major national polls. CandidateMost recent positionHome stateCampaign158x158px Adlai Stevenson IIDemocratic nominee for President(1952)Former Governor of Illinois(1949–53)Illinois 1915(Campaign)148x148px Estes KefauverU.S. Senator from Tennessee(1949–63)U.S. Representative from Tennessee(1939–49)Tennessee152x152pxWithdrew: June 1956(Campaign)152x152px W. Averell HarrimanGovernor of New York(1955–58)United States Secretary of Commerce(1946–48)United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom(1946)United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union(1943–46)New York 1909 Favorite sons The following candidates ran only in their home state's primary or caucuses for the purpose of controlling its delegate slate at the convention and did not appear to be considered national candidates by the media. Former Governor John S. Battle of Virginia Governor Happy Chandler of Kentucky U.S. Representative James C. Davis of Georgia Governor Frank Lausche of Ohio House Majority Leader John W. McCormack of Massachusetts Governor George Bell Timmerman Jr. of South Carolina Declined to run Former President Harry S. Truman of Missouri Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas Primary campaign Estes Kefauver sought the Democratic presidential nomination, as he had in 1952. Initially, he again won some Democratic Party presidential primaries. In the March 13, 1956 New Hampshire presidential primary, Kefauver defeated Stevenson, his only formidable opponent for the nomination, by a margin of 21,701 to 3,806. A week later, Kefauver defeated Stevenson in the March 20, 1956 Minnesota presidential primary, winning 245,885 votes compared to Stevenson's 186,723 votes. Kefauver was also victorious in the Wisconsin presidential primary. Stevenson picked up his native Illinois in a landslide. By April 1956, "it appeared that Kefauver was on his way to a primary sweep matching the spectacular performance in 1952."Gorman, Joseph Bruce. Kefauver: A Political Biography. NY: Oxford University Press, 1971. Florida primary One of the first televised United States presidential debates was held as an hour long one-on-one debate between the party's top-two contenders, Kefauver and Stevenson.Stevenson, Kefauver Find Agreement in TV Debate; H-Bomb Tests Noted STEVENSON FACES KEFAUVER ON TV https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/05/22/86587283.html?pageNumber=1 timesmachine.nytimes.com The New York Times 10 September 2020 en 22 May 19561st-Ever Televised Presidential Debate From 1956 Now Online https://will.illinois.edu/news/story/1st-ever-televised-presidential-debate-from-1956-now-online Illinois Public Media 10 September 2020 en 15 June 2016 The debate was held in Miami, Florida ahead of the state's primary. Russell Baker of The New York Times wrote that the two contenders took near-identical stances on most of the issues discussed in the debate. California primary The June California primary proved decisive for the nomination, delivering Stevenson a major victory and leading to the suspension of Kefauver's campaign for the nomination. Polling Opinion polling for the 1956 Democratic Party presidential primaries.chart Opinion polling for the 1956 Democratic Party presidential primaries.tab 450px National polling Poll sourcePublication Averell Harriman 1 Lyndon Baines Johnson 1 Estes Kefauver 1 Frank Lausche 1 Adlai Stevenson 1 Stuart Symington 1 Harry S. Truman 1GallupUS President - D Primaries Polling https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=55197&ShowAllMUPoll=Y OurCampaigns.com 26 April 2020 11 Dec 2010Aug. 1953––17%– 53%1%11%GallupAug. 1954––22%– 57%––GallupNov. 19544%–16%2% 58%––GallupMar. 195514%– 48%2%–5%1%GallupApr. 195517%– 37%4%–3%1%GallupAug. 19556%1%16%– 55%–1%GallupOct. 19558%–16%2% 51%2%–GallupNov. 195510%1%11%1% 48%1%1%GallupNov. 19558%–12%– 38%––GallupDec. 19558%–17%3% 51%––GallupJan. 19568%3%17%3% 49%––GallupFeb. 19568%2%18%2% 51%1%–GallupApr. 19566%3%33%2% 39%2%–GallupApr. 19566%4%29%3% 41%2%–GallupJune 19568%4%26%3% 42%3%–GallupJune 195612%4%16%3% 45%4%– See also 1956 Republican Party presidential primaries 1956 New Jersey Democratic presidential primary References