The Tennessee Whiz

All last week Pollster George Gallup kept grasping for adjectives to describe the upsurge in Estes Kefauver's popular support. First, Gallup reported that since he last polled them a month ago the number of Democrats favoring Kefauver has jumped from 18% to 33% and the number of independents from 25% to 29%. (During the same period Stevenson supporters among Democrats had dwindled from 51% to 39% and among independents from 33% to 23%.)

Next, Gallup matched the Tennessean against the field in the South. Five months ago Kefauver was the favorite presidential candidate of only 12% of Southern Democrats, running behind both Stevenson (38%) and Georgia's Richard Russell (17%). By last week's report the figures are: Stevenson 28%, Kefauver 26%, Russell 13%. Finally, Gallup tested Estes against President Eisenhower among all voters, and found that, though Ike still has a big lead (59% to 38%), Kefauver has nonetheless made progress since February 1955, when a similar poll gave Ike 60% and Kefauver 34%. Dr. Gallup's last word: "Phenomenal."

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