Dems Retain Their Power (PJW)

November 7, 1962
The results from yesterday's elections have arrived and it is time for the Post's biannual Election Roundup. The Democrats retain their power in both the Senate and House of Representatives, with little gains and losses in either level. More interesting was the arrival of the populist Citizens' Party on the scene; the election of two Citizens' candidates as representatives from Louisiana and Mississippi, along with the defection of one Democrat senator and representative to the Citizens', means that the new party is the strongest third party in decades. Now, for a roundup of the major changes in each state:

ALABAMA: Limited to one term, Governor John Malcolm Patterson was not able to run for re-election in Alabama. In a state where the Democrat Party reigns supreme, judge George Wallace smashed state senator Ryan DeGraffenried in the primaries, and seemed a likely winner until a dark horse, Citizens' Party candidate and (in)famous Sheriff Jim Clark, emerged. Even farther right and segregationist than Wallace, Clark took the state that he "protected" during the Birmingham Uprising by storm, and was elected the state's new governor. Clark remains a controversial figure, due to gaining nationwide notoriety for allegedly using excess force, such as branding rioters with a cattle prod, during the uprising of last year...

ILLINOIS: Newcomer Donald Rumsfeld of the Republican Party has been elected as the Representative from Illinois' 13th District. Only 30 years old, Rumsfeld previous made a name for himself as an assistant in several political offices before working for an investment firm. Rumsfeld is seen as a moderate, a supporter of civil rights but also fiscally conservative...

LOUISIANA: The Citizens' Party holds two seats in the House of Representatives from Louisiana, newcomer Ned Touchstone in the 3rd District and Democrat defector Joe Waggoner in the 4th. Touchstone campaigned on the removal of negros from his district, and endorsements from Waggoner and Louisiana native Minister John Rarick greatly helped Touchstone secure the nomination. Louisiana seems a brewing ground for the far right, and the successes of the two men could lead to something even greater for the party...

MISSISSIPPI: Another newcomer includes Byron De La Beckwith, elected as the Representative from Mississippi's 2nd District beneath the banner of the Citizens' Party. Promising to establish a Byrdtown for his district, Beckwith's victory was a close one, with his campaign no doubt marred by a murder trial in the spring. Despite the jury finding Beckwith innocent, it still leaves a dark cloud hanging above the new representative...