The 1956 Election in New Mexico

NEW MEXICO may no longer be a safe Democratic state. This is perhaps the most important conclusion to be drawn from the November, 1956, elections in New Mexico. The state retained its record of always voting for the winning presidential candidate.1 Late in September and early in October, it looked as if the Democratic national ticket were making headway in New Mexico. Both Stevenson and Kefauver campaigned there, while neither Eisenhower nor Nixon made an appearance. However, by the middle of October it seemed clear that the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket would win; by what margin was the only question. The mood was: Why change Presidents? Official figures gave Eisenhower-Nixon 146,788 votes and Stevenson-Kefauver, 106,098. There was some reliable indication that the Middle East crisis and the Russian action in Hungary had very little effect on the voting in New Mexico. In this election year New Mexico presented an unusual example of the effect of a candidate's health on an election outcome. Democratic Representative Fernandez had a stroke on October 25. This fact was known to

Political science · Latin American and Latino Studies