Governors

At stake were 33 Governorships, of which 25 were occupied by Democrats, six by Republicans, one by a Farmer-Laborite, one by a Progressive. When the votes were counted, Democrats had won 26 of the jobs, a Farmer-Laborite one, a Progressive one, Republicans only five.

Kansas. Dopesters who expected Nominee Landon to carry Kansas were sure that his onetime campaign manager and private secretary, Will G. West, candidate for Governor and rated one of the State's smartest politicians, would run well ahead of him on the Republican ticket. But when Franklin Roosevelt swept even Alf Landon's home State, he carried a Democrat, Walter A. Huxman, along to fill Alf Landon's chair on Jan. 1. Farm-born near Pretty Prairie, outspoken, aggressive Governor-elect Huxman served on Kansas' State Tax Commission under onetime Governor Harry H. Woodring. Acting Secretary of War Woodring and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Guy T. Helvering, who still boss the Kansas Democracy from Washington, picked him for this year's race, which he ran as a stanch New Dealer.

Michigan. To help make Michigan safe for Democracy, President Roosevelt brought popular, vote-getting Frank Murphy back from his $18,000 job as Philippine High Commissioner to run for the $5,000 Governorship of Michigan. Month ago the redhaired, freckled, dynamic onetime Mayor of Detroit was so worried about his own chances that he got his Presidential patron to tour the State, sing his praises at every station stop. For a time on election night it looked as though Democrat Murphy's fears had been justified, but when the Detroit returns came in it seemed clear that Republican Frank D. Fitzgerald, the incumbent, had lost his job.

Ohio. When Franklin Roosevelt stumped Ohio, he said not a word for his supposed Democratic liability, Governor Martin Luther Davey. Polls which gave the State to Roosevelt unanimously indicated that, after many a run-in with the New Deal, aggressive, unpopular Governor Davey was about to be returned to the private life of a tree surgeon by Republican John W. Bricker, State Attorney General. Apparently they were unanimously wrong.

Massachusetts. A loser himself, Democratic Boss James Michael Curley had the consolation of seeing State Treasurer Charles Francis Hurley defeat Republican John W. Haigis to succeed Curley as Governor. Strapping, vigorous, 42-year-old Governor-elect Hurley, who likes boating and biography, was in 1930 the first Democrat to be elected State Treasurer in 19 years, went on to become the only man ever chosen thrice for that office.

Minnesota. When Minnesota's blind, blatant Senator Thomas D. Schall died last December, Farmer-Labor Governor Floyd B. Olson appointed his quiet, abstemious, hard-working banking commissioner, Elmer A. Benson, to serve the unexpired term, be thus groomed to succeed as Governor. When Governor Olson died last summer, the blow to President Roosevelt's chances of carrying Minnesota caused him to persuade the State's Democratic nominees for Senator and Governor to withdraw in favor of the Farmer-Labor candidates. Old-line Democrats grumbled. Republicans shouted that the President had "sold his Party down the river." But the deal worked, carried Elmer Benson into the Governorship.

Illinois. Despite lukewarm support from Chicago's Kelly-Nash machine, Democratic Governor Henry Horner piled up a 293,000 lead in Cook County, showed surprising strength downstate to win re-election over young Republican Charles Wayland ("Curly") Brooks.

New York. Because he had shown himself an even abler New York vote-getter than Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Herbert Henry Lehman, who urgently desired to return to his banking business, was drafted by the Democratic National Convention and the President himself to run for a third term as Governor. That sacrifice was proved wholly unnecessary when Governor Lehman, though winning handily, ran over 300,000 votes behind his nation-sweeping White House friend.

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