From March 11 to June 5, 1956, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1956 United States presidential election. Former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections[1] and caucuses culminating in the 1956 Democratic National Convention held from August 13 to August 17, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois.[2] This was the party's second consecutive nomination of Stevenson.[3]
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Candidates
Major candidates
These candidates participated in multiple state delegate election contests or were included in multiple major national polls.
| Candidate | Most recent position | Home state | Campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Democratic nominee for President (1952) Former Governor of Illinois (1949–53) |  Illinois | (Campaign) | |
.jpg) | U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1949–63) U.S. Representative from Tennessee (1939–49) |  Tennessee |  Withdrew: June 1956 (Campaign) | |
.jpg) | Governor of New York (1955–58) United States Secretary of Commerce (1946–48) United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1946) United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1943–46) |  New York | ||
Favorite sons
The following candidates ran only in their home state's primary or caucuses for the purpose of controlling its delegate slate at the convention and did not appear to be considered national candidates by the media.
- Former Governor John S. Battle of Virginia
- Governor Happy Chandler of Kentucky
- U.S. Representative James C. Davis of Georgia
- Governor Frank Lausche of Ohio
- House Majority Leader John W. McCormack of Massachusetts
- Governor George Bell Timmerman Jr. of South Carolina
Primary campaign
Estes Kefauver sought the Democratic presidential nomination, as he had in 1952. Initially, he again won some Democratic Party presidential primaries.
In the March 13, 1956 New Hampshire presidential primary, Kefauver defeated Stevenson, his only formidable opponent for the nomination, by a margin of 21,701 to 3,806.
A week later, Kefauver defeated Stevenson in the March 20, 1956 Minnesota presidential primary, winning 245,885 votes compared to Stevenson's 186,723 votes. Kefauver was also victorious in the Wisconsin presidential primary. By April 1956, "it appeared that Kefauver was on his way to a primary sweep matching the spectacular performance in 1952."[4]
Florida primary
One of the first televised United States presidential debates was held as an hour long one-on-one debate between the party's top-two contenders, Kefauver and Stevenson.[5][6] The debate was held in Miami, Florida ahead of the state's primary.[5][6]
Russell Baker of The New York Times wrote that the two contenders took near-identical stances on most of the issues discussed in the debate.[5]
California primary
The June California primary proved decisive for the nomination, delivering Stevenson a major victory and leading to the suspension of Kefauver's campaign for the nomination.
Polling
National polling
| Poll source | Publication | Averell Harriman | Lyndon Baines Johnson | Estes Kefauver | Frank Lausche | Adlai Stevenson | Stuart Symington | Harry S. Truman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallup[7] | Aug. 1953 | – | – | 17% | – | 53% | 1% | 11% |
| Gallup[7] | Aug. 1954 | – | – | 22% | – | 57% | – | – |
| Gallup[7] | Nov. 1954 | 4% | – | 16% | 2% | 58% | – | – |
| Gallup[7] | Mar. 1955 | 14% | – | 48% | 2% | – | 5% | 1% |
| Gallup[7] | Apr. 1955 | 17% | – | 37% | 4% | – | 3% | 1% |
| Gallup[7] | Aug. 1955 | 6% | 1% | 16% | – | 55% | – | 1% |
| Gallup[7] | Oct. 1955 | 8% | – | 16% | 2% | 51% | 2% | – |
| Gallup[7] | Nov. 1955 | 10% | 1% | 11% | 1% | 48% | 1% | 1% |
| Gallup[7] | Nov. 1955 | 8% | – | 12% | – | 38% | – | – |
| Gallup[7] | Dec. 1955 | 8% | – | 17% | 3% | 51% | – | – |
| Gallup[7] | Jan. 1956 | 8% | 3% | 17% | 3% | 49% | – | – |
| Gallup[7] | Feb. 1956 | 8% | 2% | 18% | 2% | 51% | 1% | – |
| Gallup[7] | Apr. 1956 | 6% | 3% | 33% | 2% | 39% | 2% | – |
| Gallup[7] | Apr. 1956 | 6% | 4% | 29% | 3% | 41% | 2% | – |
| Gallup[7] | June 1956 | 8% | 4% | 26% | 3% | 42% | 3% | – |
| Gallup[7] | June 1956 | 12% | 4% | 16% | 3% | 45% | 4% | – |