Last Brokered Presidential Convention — 1952

It’s been 68 years since a presidential candidate was selected by a major party in a brokered convention. Some analysts believe that the large number of Democratic candidates, the lack of a clear frontrunner, and other factors could lead it to happen again in 2020.

In 1952, there were many Democratic candidates with support from different factions of the party. On the first ballot, Senator Estes Kefauver had the most delegates (340) but did not reach the 50% mark.

On the second ballot, Kefauver was still ahead but Governor Adlai Stevenson was getting closer. Finally, after the intervention of President Harry S. Truman, Stevenson was nominated on the third ballot. According to The New York Times, this was a victory for the "center of the Democratic party." Kefauver had the support of "advanced liberals."

In today’s Democratic Party, that would be roughly the equivalent of Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., winning on the first ballot and then having the delegates nominate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Although Stevenson captured the nomination, he was soundly defeated by Dwight D. Eisenhower in the general election.

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.