Taft was not running a campaign based on his overall record, not one slanted along

ideological lines. The second flyer did not make any false assertions, but it did put a

positive, though somewhat misleading, spin on Taft's meager civil rights record.52

 Taft also made a favorable impression on segments of the African American

press. The Cleveland Call andPost, one of the most influential black newspapers in

the state, endorsed Taft throughout the campaign and reported on the divisive

campaign rhetoric of the labor unions. An editorial on September twenty-third

claimed, "Under the leadership of the CIO-PAC ... programs have been put into

action especially designed and calculated to poison the minds of the Negro voters

against Senator Taft." The October 28 edition linked Taft to progress on civil rights

legislation and predicted that, if Ferguson were elected, a further entrenchment of the

Democratic Party would bolster the southern bloc.53

 Ultimately, the OCVC campaign and the endorsement of the Cleveland Call

and Post proved unsuccessful. During the campaign, the NAACP denounced Taft for

his anti-FEPC stance. Since the issue came to the fore in 1946, he had been against

creation of a compulsory FEPC to root out workplace discrimination. He contended

that it overstepped the powers of the Federal government. An opponent of federal

regulations on businesses, Taft sponsored a bill that created a permanent FEPC but

one limited to an advisory role. The NAACP supported his opponent, and on election

day the Democratic contender won every majority black district in the state.54

Although futile, appealing to African American voters was a marked departure from

Taft's previous senatorial runs and his 1948 presidential primary campaign.


52 Ibid.

53 Cleveland Call and Post, October 28 and November 4, 1950.

54 Patterson, Mr. Republican, 448, 471.