Averell Harriman has come a long way since the bitterly contested convention of 1956, when his supporters wrenched the party’s nomination away from that fusty old warhorse John McCormack. His narrow victory over Senator Joseph McCarthy in the general election was expected to herald four renewed years of peace and prosperity under the Democratic standard; instead, the unexpected recession of 1958 effectively handed the Senate and the House to the Republicans. Battling a hostile legislature, President Harriman struggles to contain mounting crises in Europe and Asia. The growing civil rights movement may complicate things further.
","image_url":"https://i.imgur.com/daPI3p9.jpg","winning_electoral_vote_number":269,"advisor_url":"https://i.imgur.com/1QQIhD3.jpg","recommended_reading":"A former career diplomat, and one-time foreign policy advisor to President Wallace, Averell Harriman was elected Governor of New York in an upset win in 1955. This provided the perfect platform for Harriman to seize the Democratic nomination the following year, ably assisted by latent prejudice against his main rival, John McCormack, on the grounds of his Catholic faith.
Harriman narrowly defeated Joseph McCarthy in the general election. Since then, however, the onset of the 1958 recession, and Khrushchev’s incessant meddling in Asia, have conspired to all but destroy Harriman’s prospects of re-election. This isn't going to be easy.
As you watch the returns come in, you begin to realize that the unthinkable has happened. In perhaps the greatest upset in modern American politics, you have won a second term. Whether it was Lodge’s sluggish campaigning, or your sound handling of the war in Laos and the civil rights movement, you’re headed for another four years in the White House with this victory.
However, the Republicans have maintained control of the House, and will likely continue to oppose your agenda. The Senate is currently on a knife-edge, but hopefully you’ll be able to win it back.
If you can deal with Khrushchev, as well as pacifying the segregationist wing of your party, then maybe Vice-President Gore will be able to succeed you in 1964. Good luck, Mr. President!
","electoral_loss_message":"
Divided parties don’t win elections. It’s a basic rule, an intractable commandment, and as the full impact of your devastating defeat washes over you, you feel you were doomed the minute Thurmond and his pals started organizing against you. Any concessions you made to them were never going to be enough.
Then you dismiss the thought from your mind, light a cigarette, and mull over the economy. The recession was inescapable for the average voter, and that alone sealed your fate. You toss the cigarette end into the fire, where it crumples and burns like the dying embers of your failed presidency, and pour yourself another whisky.
","no_electoral_majority_message":"
Nothing could have prepared you for this. The electoral college has been deadlocked through the machinations of Thurmond and Byrd, and their willing accomplice, Governor Barnett. A group of unpledged electors now holds more power than the millions of voters who cast their ballot on election day, in a travesty of democracy. Lodge has already declared that he will never make any kind of deal with the Southern electors. If the election goes to the House, it's likely that Lodge will emerge triumphant, as a result of the Republican majority there.
","description_as_running_mate":null,"candidate_score":1,"running_mate":false,"scrollable":false}},{"model":"campaign_trail.candidate","pk":106,"fields":{"first_name":"Henry Cabot","last_name":"Lodge","election":11,"party":"Republican","state":"Massachusetts","priority":1,"description":"
A Boston Brahmin and a Harvard graduate, Henry Cabot Lodge has always stood at the forefront of America’s social and intellectual elite. The ambassadorship he held under the patronage of President Stassen led to Lodge being named Secretary of State in 1954. In 1956, he reluctantly accepted calls to serve as Joseph McCarthy’s running mate.
With President Harriman’s foreign policy floundering, Lodge seeks to burnish his internationalist credentials, pledging to bring stability and order to a world in flames. However, Lodge may also have to make an effort to rebut Democratic attacks on his previous association with the discredited McCarthy and his followers on the campaign trail.
","color_hex":"#c44141","secondary_color_hex":null,"is_active":0,"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Cabot_Lodge_%281964%29_%28cropped_3x4%29.jpg/180px-Cabot_Lodge_%281964%29_%28cropped_3x4%29.jpg","electoral_victory_message":"A former schoolteacher, Albert Gore was elected to represent Tennessee in the Senate in 1952. A natural choice for the vice-presidential slot in 1956, his down-at-heel southern populism nicely offsets his president’s wealth and northern background.
Gore is perceived as something of a moderate figure on racial issues, and has spent much of his time in the Naval Observatory acting as an olive branch to frustrated southerners determined to block all attempts to pass civil rights legislation. Gore recognizes that the Harriman administration is fast becoming a sinking ship in the eyes of the public, but has pledged to stand by his president, come what may.
","color_hex":"#0000ff","secondary_color_hex":null,"is_active":0,"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Al_Gore_Sr_portrait.png/376px-Al_Gore_Sr_portrait.jpg","electoral_victory_message":"A former schoolteacher, Albert Gore was elected to represent Tennessee in the Senate in 1952. A natural choice for the vice-presidential slot in 1956, his down-at-heel southern populism nicely offsets his president’s wealth and northern background.
Gore is perceived as something of a moderate figure on racial issues, and has spent much of his time in the Naval Observatory acting as an olive branch to frustrated southerners determined to block all attempts to pass civil rights legislation. Gore recognizes that the Harriman administration is fast becoming a sinking ship in the eyes of the public, but has pledged to stand by his president, come what may.
","candidate_score":1,"running_mate":true,"scrollable":false,"partner":"0"}},{"model":"campaign_trail.candidate","pk":497,"fields":{"first_name":"William","last_name":"Stratton","election":11,"party":"Republican","state":"Illinois","priority":1,"description":"William Stratton has served as Governor of Illinois since 1953. A practical, dynamic figure, Stratton has overseen the construction of over two hundred miles of the Illinois tollway system, as well as pushing for the expansion of further public works projects in his state. As a state Governor, and a member of Congress for many years before that, Stratton brings valuable legislative experience to the ticket, and could help significantly in his home state. However, Stratton’s controversial divorce proceedings in 1949 might prove unappealing to some conservatives. There are also allegations of tax evasion floating around the Washington beltway, which Stratton himself firmly denies.
","color_hex":"#0000ff","secondary_color_hex":null,"is_active":0,"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/William_G._Stratton_%28Illinois_Blue_Book_Portrait_1959-1960%29.jpg?20240421193900","electoral_victory_message":"William Stratton has served as Governor of Illinois since 1953. A practical, dynamic figure, Stratton has overseen the construction of over two hundred miles of the Illinois tollway system, as well as pushing for the expansion of further public works projects in his state. As a state Governor, and a member of Congress for many years before that, Stratton brings valuable legislative experience to the ticket, and could help significantly in his home state. However, Stratton’s controversial divorce proceedings in 1949 might prove unappealing to some conservatives. There are also allegations of tax evasion floating around the Washington beltway, which Stratton himself firmly denies.
","candidate_score":1,"running_mate":true,"scrollable":false,"partner":"1"}},{"model":"campaign_trail.candidate","pk":498,"fields":{"first_name":"Richard","last_name":"Nixon","election":11,"party":"Republican","state":"California","priority":1,"description":"Richard Nixon has served as the junior Senator from California since 1950, following a distinguished career as a lawyer and naval officer. Nixon has garnered a reputation as a staunch anti-communist, co-sponsoring the Walter-Nixon Bill, which effectively outlawed the Communist Party on American soil. As such, Nixon has a certain appeal to the millions of voters who enthusiastically supported McCarthy in 1956, and could help you shore up your conservative base, as well as driving support in the West. On the other hand, Nixon enjoys a poor relationship with the press, and old allegations that a slush fund was used to pay for Nixon’s expenses could haunt him on the campaign trail.
","color_hex":"#0000ff","secondary_color_hex":null,"is_active":0,"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Richard_Nixon_congressional_portrait.jpg/186px-Richard_Nixon_congressional_portrait.jpg","electoral_victory_message":"Richard Nixon has served as the junior Senator from California since 1950, following a distinguished career as a lawyer and naval officer. Nixon has garnered a reputation as a staunch anti-communist, co-sponsoring the Walter-Nixon Bill, which effectively outlawed the Communist Party on American soil. As such, Nixon has a certain appeal to the millions of voters who enthusiastically supported McCarthy in 1956, and could help you shore up your conservative base, as well as driving support in the West. On the other hand, Nixon enjoys a poor relationship with the press, and old allegations that a slush fund was used to pay for Nixon’s expenses could haunt him on the campaign trail.
","candidate_score":1,"running_mate":true,"scrollable":false,"partner":"1"}},{"model":"campaign_trail.candidate","pk":107,"fields":{"first_name":"Ross","last_name":"Barnett/Others","election":11,"party":"Independent","state":"Alabama","priority":1,"description":"","color_hex":"#ffc800","secondary_color_hex":null,"is_active":0,"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Harry_F._Byrd_headshot.jpg/194px-Harry_F._Byrd_headshot.jpg","electoral_victory_message":"Clare Boothe Luce served as ambassador to Italy under the auspices of President Stassen, and has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s most prominent female Republicans. Luce’s selection would certainly be a gamble; her experience as a diplomat could add further weight to Republican arguments over the weaknesses of Harriman’s foreign policy, and double down on the ticket’s appeal in the northeast. Conversely, the novelty of Luce’s gender might overshadow the Republican campaign, and it remains unclear whether voters are truly ready for a female vice president.
","color_hex":"#0000ff","secondary_color_hex":null,"is_active":0,"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Clare_boothe.jpg/204px-Clare_boothe.jpg","electoral_victory_message":"Clare Boothe Luce served as ambassador to Italy under the auspices of President Stassen, and has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s most prominent female Republicans. Luce’s selection would certainly be a gamble; her experience as a diplomat could add further weight to Republican arguments over the weaknesses of Harriman’s foreign policy, and double down on the ticket’s appeal in the northeast. Conversely, the novelty of Luce’s gender might overshadow the Republican campaign, and it remains unclear whether voters are truly ready for a female vice president.
","candidate_score":1,"running_mate":true,"scrollable":false,"partner":"1"}}];e.running_mate_json = [{"model":"campaign_trail.running_mate","pk":496,"fields":{"candidate":105,"running_mate":496}},{"model":"campaign_trail.running_mate","pk":497,"fields":{"candidate":106,"running_mate":497}},{"model":"campaign_trail.running_mate","pk":498,"fields":{"candidate":106,"running_mate":498}},{"model":"campaign_trail.running_mate","pk":499,"fields":{"candidate":106,"running_mate":499}}]; campaignTrail_temp.opponents_default_json = JSON.parse("[{\"election\": 11, \"candidates\": [105, 106, 107]}]"); campaignTrail_temp.opponents_weighted_json = JSON.parse("[{\"election\": 11, \"candidates\": [105, 106, 107]}]"); quotes = ["“Conferences, at the top level, are always courteous. ” ~ Averell Harriman", '"Avid for Averell!"', "“We shall bury you.” ~ Nikita Khrushchev"] customquote = quotes[Math.floor((Math.random() * quotes.length))] corrr=`\n