Talk of Warren for ticket grows
He says war duties on coast provide major reason for his reluctance to run
Chicago, Illinois – (June 25)
Talk of Governor Earl Warren of California for second place on the Republican ticket gained volume today despite his reiteration that he was not a candidate and had asked his state’s delegation not to put him in nomination.
At a press conference after his arrival, with the California delegation, he was asked if he would accept the nomination if it was proffered. He responded, “I am not going to deal in the realm of hypothesis.”
He said that one of the main reasons he did not wish to run on the national ticket was that he was “wartime” Governor of California and his term did not expire for more than two years.
He added:
My obligations as Governor are great and they will be greater when the fighting shifts completely to the Pacific after the fall of Germany. The arrival of peace will bring with it a variety of extremely difficult problems for California and we must be prepared now to meet them.
His supporters conceded that he was not anxious to obtain a place on the ticket, but declared that he could not very well refuse it if it came. They said they would abide by his request not to place him in nomination, but were confident that his name would be offered by delegates from other states.
Backers of Ohio Governor John W. Bricker were still battling to delegates to support him for the presidential nomination and were inclined to discount talk about the possibility of second place for him, but in other quarters he was considered a close runner-up to Governor Warren for the vice-presidential nomination.
Workers at his headquarters said that they would like to see him on the ticket if he should be defeated for the top nomination and pointed out that he had never said that he would not accept the second-place nomination.
The candidacy of Rep. Everett M. Dirksen (R-IL), who shares with AFL vice president William L. Hutcheson, the distinction of admitting a desire to be nominated for Vice President, seemed to be fading. His supporters, however, were still busy checking the state delegations as they arrive and endeavoring to pick up support for their man.