Within Reach

Oklahoma's registered Democrats outnumber Republicans better than 4 to 1, but the voters twice went big for Eisenhower, and in 1960 they gave Richard Nixon 533,000 votes to John Kennedy's 370,000. This year there is a strong chance that the state will elect the first Republican Governor in its history, and maybe even a G.O.P. Senator.

Greybeards. Many Oklahomans think that if the elections were held now, the new Governor would be Henry Bellmon, 41, a big (230 HDS., 6 ft. 2 in.) ex-marine lieutenant who neither smokes nor drinks, but just raises cattle, wheat and Republican hopes. He was elected to the legislature in 1946, and in 1960 became state party chairman. The choice was a shock to old-line Republicans who had got comfy sitting on their hands. "Of the 300 state committee people," says Bellmon, "I replaced 208 with new, younger people. Overnight, the average age of the party's top workers dropped by about 30 years, from the 60s and 70s to the middle 30s.

Before that, I could always remember being the youngest man in any large crowd of party people. I can still see those meetings: greybeards and guys on crutches, all saying 'That won't work because we know better.' "

With his young recruits, Bellmon successfully brought out the big Nixon vote in 1960, then set to work preparing for 1962. Like a military commander, he issued attack programs that scheduled a calendar of activities, organized "commando'' groups of workers assigned to fund raising, advertising and "reregistering" Democrats. The Republicans contracted early for most of the state's best billboard space, leaving the Democrats pretty much behind the bushes. All that remained was to select their Republican candidates--and Organizer Bellmon was the obvious choice for Governor.

Heading toward November, Bellmon faces a badly split Democratic Party. Democratic candidate for Governor is W.P. (Bill) Atkinson, who had the backing of Senator Robert Kerr. With Kerr's organization behind him, Atkinson won a bitter primary victory over former Governor Raymond Gary. But Gary himself still has a considerable organization--many of whose members are now working for Bellmon.

The Democrats' factionalism has also hurt Senator Mike Monroney in his campaign for a third term. Hot after Monroney is Republican B. (for Burnett) Hayden Crawford, 40, a former U.S. attorney, who earned his spurs by winning a healthy 45% of the vote in his unsuccessful attempt to beat Bob Kerr in 1960. Crawford is stumping the state with a straight-out conservative approach that bristles with talk of anti-socialism, antiCommunism, anti-medicare and anti-federal aid to education.

Long Wait. Gubernatorial Candidate Bellmon is less doctrinaire. He wants to modernize the state government, trim the payrolls, and straighten out a badly built road system. Democrat-Atkinson's big argument is for an increase from 2% to 3% in the state sales tax--a plan that has notably failed to capture the voters' imagination. Bellmon obviously senses that victory is within reach. "After 55 years of Democrats," he says, "it's up to us this year to head up an honest, hardworking and harmonious Governor's office. If we don't, it may take another 50 years to get another crack at it."

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