January, as Dewey predicted, turned out to be the high point for the Taft

campaign. A survey conducted by the Associated Press showed that Taft had a

majority of pledged Republican delegates throughout the nation, but that Ike led in

newspaper endorsements by a two to one margin.49 In New Hampshire, Taft faced a

dilemma. The state was clearly outside of his geographic base, so if he opted in he

would enter with a disadvantage. On the other hand, the race seemed to be between a

weak candidate in Stassen and an absentee war hero with no political experience or

programmatic stands on record. A number of Taft's advisors believed that he should

enter the race. On January 29th, Taft and Stassen officially entered the New

Hampshire primary. The press reported that Taft would rather risk an unfavorable

primary rather than allow Eisenhower an easy victory.o5 In February, F. E Schulter, a

New Hampshire Taft supporter, reported that the Eisenhower delegate slate looked

very strong, but an independent poll conducted by a research firm in Chicago showed

Taft in front only with thirty-five percent of the vote to Eisenhower's thirty-three.5

 Beginning in early March, Taft conducted a five hundred mile, twenty stop tour

of New Hampshire.52 He virtually ignored Eisenhower and instead attacked the

Democrats, calling for a return of integrity to the executive branch, a reduction in

spending and taxation, and a foreign policy not conducted through secret

negotiations.53 Eisenhower's surrogates took a different strategy and made Taft's

electoral potential the main issue, claiming that a Republican defeat in November


49 Washington Post, 27 January 1952; Washington Post, 31 January 1952.

50 New York Times, 29 January 1952.

51 F. E. Schlulter to John D. M. Hamilton and Robert A. Taft, 23 February 1952. Copy in Folder (1952
Campaign New Jersey S) (cite is correct), Box 375, Taft Papers.
52 The trip was announced in late February. See Christian Science-Monitor, 25 February 1952.

53 New York Times, 29 February 1952; Nashorn, (C l.... i' the Candidates, 142-144.