Gone Aglimmering

New Hampshire's Republican Governor Wesley Powell had plotted a bright future for himself: he would breeze to re-election this November, start barnstorming nationally for President next year, win the early-bird New Hampshire Republican presidential primary in 1964. stampede the G.O.P. national convention, and go on to unseat Jack Kennedv. All well and good--except that all these glittering plans went aglimmering last week. New Hampshire Republicans turned down Powell's bid for renomination by a vote of 55,784 to 42,005.

Defying Tradition. Powell was plainly overconfident. He did not campaign in the primary until the final five days, claimed that his activity was limited by a mild heart attack last March. At the same time, he argued that his illness should not affect his future, spent a lot of time on the golf course, fulfilled his duties as chairman of the national Governors' Conference. By failing to appoint Mrs. Doloris Bridges to the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, Republican Senator Styles Bridges, Powell angered influential right-wing Publisher W'illiam Loeb of the Manchester Union Leader. Also Powell defied the unbroken tradition that New Hampshire Governors limit themselves to two terms.

Powell had a bitter explanation for his loss. "I'm paying the penalty for not following the dictates of William Loeb," he said. "I'm paying the penalty for appointing a Catholic to the U.S. Senate[former State Attorney General Maurice J. Murphy Jr.,34.]. I'm paying the penalty for a few Negroes coming to New Hampshire as reverse freedom riders." Powell had said such riders would be welcome in the state.

Big John. A more plausible factor in Powell's defeat was the dogged campaign ing and colorful personality of the man who beat him : State Representative John Pillsbury, 44, of Manchester. Well-known in the legislature for his deep-lunged, shattering oratory, Big John (6 ft. 3 in., 225 Ibs. ) quit his job as a power-company executive to stump the state. He encouraged Powell's overconfidence by starting his drive in low key. then blistered Powell in the final weeks for his "one-man rule," his "personal machine" and his "negative thinking." He claimed that Powell had short-changed education, but had spent "$30.000 to change the color of the state troopers' pants." He scoffed at ";this curious illness that keeps him on the golf course 36 holes a day." Pillsbury is an ordained Congregational minister, has had national political experience as staff director of the Republican policy committee in the U.S. Senate (1950 and 1951), will be favored to defeat the Democratic nominee, John W. King, minority leader of the New Hampshire house.

As for the lady who was the cause of some of Powell's trouble, Doloris Bridges was defeated for the G.O.P. Senate nomination. The winner, by a bare 1,692 votes out of some 100,000 cast, was middle-road Congressman Perkins Bass, 49. At week's end, Doloris demanded a recount. But recounts hardly ever change the results of an election, and old Styles would have known better than ever to ask.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.