While President Coolidge was easily re-nominated despite some grumbling by anti-prohibition Unionists, the balloting for the Vice-Presidential nomination was another story after the President's surprise announcement that the delegates would decide the Vice-Presidential nominee without his input. Among the first to bow out was Coolidge's personal choice: former Iowa Senator William Kenyon. While President Coolidge initially received a great deal of positive press for this decision, the delegates remained deadlocked and after two weeks, it became clear that letting the delegates decide was a terrible mistake. "New York for Wadsworth" even briefly became something of a Bull-Moose slogan as the New York delegation's refusal to cast its votes for anyone except its favorite son candidate (even after Senator Wadsworth had dropped out
) became symbolic of the disorganized mess that was the 1924 Unionist National Convention. Eventually the conservative-wing of the Unionist Party united behind Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, a staunch conservative who was popular with the party bosses and big business, in order to halt the momentum of progressivish Missouri Governor Arthur Hyde. Thus, Secretary Hoover became President Coolidge's running-mate a mere five weeks and two days after the convention was scheduled to end. President Coolidge is running on the usual reactionary laissez-faire economic policies, the surprising success of reconstruction, isolationism, eliminating the practice known as collective bargaining, even harsher restrictions against immigration, and a promise to vigorously enforce the Volstead Act.
The Worker's Party had been expecting a deadlocked convention, but Maryland Governor Albert Ritchie was considered too anti-civil rights/openly sympathetic to the second Confederacy by party bosses who, fearing that Governor Ritchie's nomination would cause immigrants and pro-civil rights WPers to support the Bull-Moose ticket, were able to prevent most of the Ritchie delegates from being seated. As a result, the convention produced a rather left-wing ticket on civil rights. Former President Oscar Underwood was nominated for President and is looking to avenge his defeat in 1916. Underwood chose Montana Senator and arch-progressive Senator Burton K. Wheeler as his running-mate in an effort to ensure that the Bull-Moose ticket doesn't manage to poach any WP voters. Underwood is running on higher income taxes, repealing prohibition, the creation of an inheritance tax, low tariffs, universal healthcare, stronger laws to protect the civil rights of African-Americans (including a ban on lynching), a constitutional amendment protecting collective bargaining, and renewing negotiations with Columbia for the construction of an American owned "Columbian Canal." It should be noted that Senator Wheeler supports women's suffrage despite Underwood's opposition to it and is considerably more isolationist than the former President (although Underwood is no interventionist, himself). Although Governor Ritchie briefly talked of running as an independent by creating an "America for Ritchie Party," nothing came of this except cries of "Go home Albert, you're drunk!"
Lastly, the Bull-Moose party nearly nominated Senator Robert LaFollette, but his old enemy and rival Presidential candidate Senator Hiram Johnson was able to convince many in the party that "Fighting Bob" lacked the health and energy to lead the party this time around. Naturally, Senator LaFollette was all like "Screw you Johnson, get off my lawn
" and made sure that his supporters backed "Anybody But Johnson." Thus, while Senator Johnson led on the first ballot, it quickly became clear that he wouldn't secure the nomination and he gracefully bowed out with the hope of currying favor with the party bosses for a 1928 run if the '24 ticket was defeated. PA Governor Gifford Pinochett seemed like a viable candidate, but nope, not a single delegation except Pennsylvania's supported him
That left the party with the likes of that three-name what's his face from Illinois, Senator Smith "I'm Albert Cummins 2.0" Brookhart, and some delegates who decided "F!ck it, let's just go and nominate whoever the Worker's Party is running." Who could save the party from this pathetic state of affairs? Enter New York Governor Alfred E. Smith, a Catholic who was nationally known for leading the fight against prohibition and since emerged as one of the leading advocates of its repeal. Although Governor Smith is rather conservative-leaning on economics, he still supports some limited social safety net programs. Another key plank in his platform is the repeal of Coolidge's harsh anti-immigration laws, known collectively as "the Coolidge quota." However, unlike most Bull-Meese, Smith is relatively interventionist on foreign policy and thus was forced to name his closest opponent at the convention, Massachusetts Senator and leading isolationist David I. Walsh, as his running-mate for the sake of party unity instead of his personal choice: former Illinois Governor Frank Lowden.
It's your choose...
Underwood/Wheeler!
Poll
