Letter from Brooks Hays to Steele Hays

              1952 [handwritten] Dear Dad: I am writing to give you some of my impressions of the August 12 primary and to ask your suggestions regarding future activity to strengthen my political situation. I am sending this same letter to a few other friends. Perhaps we will have an opportunity to go over some of these observations when I am at home. I had hoped to win by a two to one majority, perhaps a little better, though my best guess before the primary was that I would get 35,000 and Amis would get 17,500. I did not miss it much. A shift of 1500 votes would have given me exactly two to one. Except in Pope County, which I carried by only 700 votes, the outcome was about as I had expected, although I was somewhat disappointed at the size of Amis’ vote in Pulaski county. There is every reason to be proud of the vote in the other four counties. I carried every box in both small ones. My majority of 16,000 was, of course, many times the 3500 majority which I had over Bob Bailey in 1942. In some respects the candidate himself is capable of making a fair appraisal of the situation because more people talk to him than to any other individual, but I recognize that he does not always get the complete picture from individuals and he needs help in assessing the situation. I have tried to be objective in my analysis this time. I attribute Amis’ vote to two things: (1) He proved to be a good door-to-door campaigner.  He was extremely energetic for the full three-month period of campaigning and from what I hear was pleasing and rather persuasive in his individual contacts. I doubt it the Fifth District has ever been more thoroughly covered from the standpoint of township visitation. (2) He exploited fully the general feeling that changes in Washington are needed. I think this was pretty damaging, particularly in Pulaski county, and while the Federal and State situations were different categories it obviously did not help me to have the upsurge of feeling about the change in the Governor’s office and the tendency to link McMath with the Truman administration which Amis continuously identified with me. I am still of the opinion that our decision not to inaugurate an active and intensive campaign to offset his gains was wise and that we handled it in just exactly the right way. I say this even while recalling the pain which his misrepresentations caused me. I am studying the precinct tabulations in an effort to analyze my weaknesses and am also weighing the things that were said to me in conversations and in letters I have received since the election. These comments are often extremely helpful. I wish I could share these letters with