Inspired by Oppo's "Running in the Digital Age"
"I have decided to end my campaign for President... I encourage all my delegates to vote for Senator Robert Taft."
-Harold Stassen, at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia (1948)
1948 was a favorable year to the Republican Party, but the contest to select a nominee for President was crowded. The 1944 candidate, New York Governor Thomas Dewey, returned for another attempt. Opposing him were Robert Taft, Senator from Ohio, the leader of the Conservative wing. And liberal Harold Stassen, the former Governor of Minnesota.
Dewey started off with a 210 delegate lead over Taft on the first ballot. Taft's delegate count increased on the second, but so did Dewey's. The leader of the "Stop Dewey" asked Stassen to drop out and endorse him. Initially hesitant, he eventually agreed on the condition that some Cabinet post would be offered to him should Taft win.
Stassen's delegates were more ideologically aligned with Dewey on issues other than Communism, but remained vindictive over his upset in the Oregon primary following a nationally-broadcasted debate between the candidates. Following the Governor's instructions, 127 of Stassen's delegates joined Taft's 274 and Senator Arthur Vandenberg's 62, giving him 42 percent of the delegate count.
Ahead of the fourth ballot, a delegate from Nebraska entered the name of Harry P Cain, charismatic Conservative Senator from Washington, into nomination. The movement to draft Cain quickly gained support, and in a press conference he announced that he would accept the Republican nomination. He won 252 votes.
Dewey and Taft met ahead of the fifth ballot. Eventually they concluded that Cain would most likely win the nomination, and that they should back him and focus on the election. The both conceding, Cain would secure the nomination.
Flying in, he decided that due to his youth and lack of experience, he needed someone older on the Vice Presidential slot. He settled on Vandenberg. In his acceptance speech, he announced that he would "conduct a review on every employee in all sectors of the federal government for Communist sympathies," leading to applause from the delegates.
As the Convention ended, the Republicans had a wide lead, but a fight was expected.