The Pittsburgh Press (May 3, 1944)
Pepper, Hill triumph in Senate races
New Deal supported in Southern primaries
By the United Press
Four states gave a stamp of approval to the wartime conduct of their Congressmen today as Alabama, Florida, Indiana and South Dakota tabulated the results of their primary elections.
Senators Claude Pepper of Florida and Lister Hill of Alabama, strong supporters of the Roosevelt administration, were returned to their seats by wide margins.
Tantamount to election
Democratic nomination is equal to election in the South.
The primaries showed, state by state.
ALABAMA: State Senator James A. Simpson conceded his defeat by Senator Hill who was leading 100,318 to 80,919 on the basis from return from 1,748 of the state’s 2,500 boxes. Rep. Joe Starnes, a member of the Dies Committee, lost a nip-and-tuck race to Albert Rains, with 12,003 votes to Rains’ 13,118. He was the only Congressman unseated thus far.
Other Alabama Congressmen were having minor trouble. Rep. Carter Manasco was forced into a runoff against J. H. Deason when he failed to obtain a majority in a three-man race. Rep. John P. Newsome failed to pick up a majority in the 9th district and probably will face former Congressman Luther Patrick in a runoff.
FLORIDA: Pepper had 132,000 votes to 86,375 for his nearest opponent, Judge Ollie Edmunds of Jacksonville in a five-man race, for a clean-cut majority and avoided a runoff. Meager returns showed 10 residential delegates pledged to President Roosevelt and seven pledged to Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia leading,
INDIANA: Rep. Charles M. La Follette, defeated Maj. Chester V. Lorch of the Army Air Forces in the 9th district Republican race, the only close Congressional contest. The remaining incumbents (eight Republicans, two Democrats) were unopposed or renominated by wide margins.
SOUTH DAKOTA: A Dewey slate of 11 delegates to the Republican convention was leading a slate pledged to LtCdr. Harold E. Stassen (former Governor of Minnesota) 27,999 to 18,869. Both Democratic slates, one entered in opposition to that chosen by the state party leaders, were pledged to President Roosevelt. Senator Chan Gurney led Lieutenant Governor A. C. Miller 35,106 to 27,021, for the Republican senatorial nomination on the basis of returns from 1,407 of the state’s 1,963 precincts.
Pepper secures majority
In the Florida majority, the three other candidates – Millard Conklin of Daytona Beach, Alston Cockrell of Jacksonville, and Finley Moore of Lake City – apparently failed to obtain even enough votes to check Senator Pepper’s majority and force him into a runoff with Edmunds. Negroes cast their ballots in the Florida primary for the first time. Senator Pepper campaigned on a platform of solid support for the national administration and contended that his opponents attacked him only to stab President Roosevelt in the back.
Senator Hill was also a setback to hopes of anti-administration leaders of a revolt in the Democratic South. He hailed his victory as “a verdict for America’s war effort.” Senator Hill, who nominated President Roosevelt for a third term, based his entire campaign on his support of the administration while Simpson pleaded for “less bureaucracy and more states’ rights.”