Fourth-termers raise sights on unanimous renomination
Washington (UP) –
Fourth-term campaigners are raising their sights today toward an approximately-unanimous renomination of President Roosevelt by the Democratic National Convention.
Democratic National Committee chairman Robert E. Hannegan told a New York City audience last night that it was his “firm conviction” that Mr. Roosevelt would be renominated and reelected.
Mr. Hannegan, Senator Alben W. Barkley (D-KY) and former DNC chairman James A. Farley addressed a Thomas Jefferson dinner gathering.
Mr. Hannegan’s confidence that Mr. Roosevelt would be reelected was bolstered by computations showing that a score of states or state leaders have already pledged or in some degree committed more than 500 convention votes to a fourth term. A bare majority of 589 of the 1,176 convention votes is necessary to nominate.
A total of 136 Democratic delegates will be selected this week in six states. the President is expected to have an actual convention majority behind him when those contests are settled.
Missouri Democrats named their 32 delegates yesterday. Other states selecting delegates this week are North Dakota, West Virginia, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming.
Chairman Harrison Spangler of the Republican National Committee answered Mr. Hannegan’s speech with a charge that a fourth term campaign under Mr. Roosevelt’s direction had been brought out “into the open by his campaign manager.”
Spangler said the fourth-term movement heretofore had been veiled or apologetic, but added:
Even now, to keep up the fiction, his manager tells us that the announcement is made without consultation with Mr. Roosevelt. Where has his manager been? It is generally known that this fourth-term ambition has been the subject of almost daily discussion at the White House for many months.