1960 Primaries

While the AU was hoping that the death of two presidents in one term would bring enough goodwill to keep them in the White House for another four years, the goodwill dissipated when President Lodge was defeated in the convention. Running in Lodge's place for the general election would be John Bricker, who emerged as the conservative alternative and who was much more polarizing as a national figure. As the WP was able to successfully paint Bricker as a radical right-winger out of touch with the American people, Estes Kefauver ran a folksy, optimistic campaign that clearly resonated with voters. Kefauver won decisively in November, giving the first victory for the WP in 12 years and leaving the AU to recoup with no clear leader running the show.

Americans were distraught and fearful when Kefauver's life was nearly cut short following a failed assassination attempt three months into his term by a gunman with Mafia connections, but he quickly recovered from his wounds and pledged a new push against organized crime in America. The FBI soon received more funding and began an aggressive campaign cracking down on crime syndicates. As this was going on, President Kefauver kept a busy schedule and racked up a good number of accomplishments. The Interstate Highway System project that started under Lodge continued and was making steady progress nationwide. Kefauver wanted to be remembered in part as a trust-buster and governed accordingly, breaking up General Motors into smaller firms and also granting expanded powers to the FDA for greater oversight over food and pharmaceutical companies. Income taxes were also raised for high-income earners to pay for new government services and to reduce the debt, which was a departure from the tax cuts across the board that began under Taft. On foreign policy, the president essentially maintained the status quo and mostly stuck with the policies of Eisenhower and Lodge, stressing that a multilateralist approach is the best way to combat communism across the globe.

However, the issue that would best define Kefauver's presidency and that stirred the greatest emotions from the populace was civil rights. After a contentious 5-4 ruling on the Brown v. Board of Education case by the Supreme Court upheld segregation by race in public schools, the civil rights movement became more outspoken than ever and was hopeful that President Kefauver, an ally, would take bold actions to advance their cause after this setback. Kefauver vowed to "fight for equality until the very end" and advocated an ambitious agenda which he hoped Congress would follow up with. After arm-twisting the moderate and liberal members from both parties, Congress was able to pass several different Civil Rights Acts over the course of Kefauver's term. These pieces of legislation included provisions on enforcing the right to vote for blacks, better oversight on voting procedures in the South, and, most notably, paving the way for integration of schools down the road. The last measure drew the strongest opposition from civil rights opponents; Senator Strom Thurmond notoriously staged the longest filibuster in history against the bill that addressed the issue. Segregated states were resistant to any new enforcement from the federal government, and it was evident that the issue would not be resolved anytime soon.

Although much was still left to be done, President Kefauver had already cemented a reputation as a champion of progressive causes who would likely be remembered for years to come. Kefauver is running for reelection on his record, and his only opposition for the WP nomination is Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, who has become one of the most visible segregationists over the last few years in backlash to Kefauver's policies. Meanwhile, the AU is trying to find a new voice in 1960 who can bring them back to victory after a tumultuous past decade. Senator Richard Nixon is running again, trumpeting his credentials as a fighter against communism and arguing that he would best bridge the divides between the feuding factions. Senator Barry Goldwater is a rising star within the AU who has been a harsh critic of President Kefauver's economic policies and is unapologetic towards his militant conservatism. Senator Wayne Morse is one of the leading figures of the liberal Unionists and has stated that his party's general rightward turn has harmed them electorally, believing that a populist tone against big business and pushing for civil libertarian policies is more of the solution. Senator George Smathers is a moderate on economic issues and has opposed the new civil rights measures pushed by Kefauver and others, earning the admiration of AU segregationists. Lastly, West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood has embraced civil rights in contrast to other Southern governors and has built up an impressive record of reform in his state.

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