Word: branigin
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Governor Roger Branigin is running for one of the least consequential positions in American politics-his state...
...Hell, yes," he declares. "I'm serious. I want to make Indiana more effective. We have not been as effective a force in national politics as 63 convention votes and a 5,000,000 population should dictate." To increase Indiana's political heft, Branigin means to control those 63 votes during the first ballot in Chicago, and to do that he must beat Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy in the primary. If, along the way, he became the party's candidate for Vice President, well, says the Governor about half seriously, "stranger things have happened...
Informal History. On the hustings, speaking in his raspy voice, Branigin says of Kennedy and McCarthy: "They are tourists in Indiana, and should be treated as such. We don't mind them having a fight here, but we don't want them to carry away the arena." He reserves his choicest thrusts for Kennedy. "I really don't think they can buy Indiana, but they're going to try. I've heard that the Kennedys paid $2,000,000 more for West Virginia than Thomas Jefferson paid for the entire Louisiana purchase...
...Branigin, 65, may not have his rivals' national reputation, but he is perfectly cast in the role of defender against those he calls the "outlanders." A prosperous corporation lawyer before running for Governor in 1964, he won by 263,000 votes, the largest plurality in the state's history. He has since burnished his popularity by keeping spending down...
Genuine Concern. Everything was falling into place-with the exception of the primaries. California and Oregon look like easy wins, but Indiana on May 7 looks tough. Bobby professes little concern about McCarthy, but appears genuinely perturbed by Governor Roger Branigin, who is running as a favorite son. A popular Governor with more than usual patronage powers to spur the enthusiasm of party workers, Branigin originally was a stand-in for Lyndon Johnson. He and McCarthy together have a very good chance of winning enough votes to outpoll Bobby...