The Taft camp took a completely different approach to the 1952 pre-convention

campaign and planned to run on a conservative reaction to the New and Fair Deals.

This played to Taft's strength and his pre-disposition to utilize existing Republican

state organizations to shoulder the burden of his campaign work. Most Old Guard

Republicans cut their teeth in the Harding and Coolidge years. They subscribed to a

political credo that favored limited and non-activist government above all else and

believed that twenty years of Democratic rule had harmed the free market economic

system. They were also disgusted by the sort of personality politics that Dewey

played. Gabrielson had shifted the RNC to the right a bit, but not as much as

Summerfield, Coleman, and the conservative press had wanted. Taft and his advisors

believed they had the opportunity to energize the right and far right of the GOP with

his legislative record and a strong defense of principles, while trying to draw in the

rest of the party with his newfound electoral success and his reputation as a loyal and

capable leader.

 Dewey's showing in 1948 helped matters tremendously. Two successive

defeats, especially with victory so close in the latter campaign, had injured the

Governor's reputation and cast doubt on his ability to win. Charles Paul, a Republican

official from Washington, reported a general shift away from Dewey towards Taft

after the 1950 election returns. He informed Taft's finance manager, Ben Tate, that

"Several of the more intelligent Dewey leaders have told me, since 1948 and before

the recent election, that they were through with 'expediency' and ducking issues.

While they did not indicate that they would go for Taft, it is quite clear to me that they

provide a fertile ground for Taft organization."19 Both Taft partisans and a number of

media outlets echoed these sentiments. Bernard Kilgore, the President of the Wall

19 Charles Paul, Letter to Ben Tate, 21 November 1950. Copy in Folder (1952 Campaign Subject File
- Ben Tate (1)), Box 465, Taft Papers.