Readying for the '72 Roses

After his unsuccessful 1968 presidential campaign, former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace assured his supporters that he had no intention of striking his conservative colors. He meant what he said. To keep himself in the national political spotlight, Wallace plans to declare on Jan. 15 that he will run for Governor of Alabama again in 1970. The purpose of his gubernatorial bid is clear. "We want to be in shape to go for the roses in '72," Wallace has told close friends.

Wallace's announcement will provoke no joy in the White House. To ensure his re-election in 1972, President Nixon wants to hold those Southern states that supported him in 1968 and pick up at least two of the five that supported Wallace. His Southern strategy is aimed at convincing the South's conservatives that the Republican Party offers them permanent shelter. It is designed also to deny Democrats the sure votes they once could count on in Dixie. Wallace's re-emergence could once again cost Nixon the electoral votes of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. It could also force him to risk losing the support of those in the center of the political spectrum by more actively courting the hard-liners in the South. This could split the conservative vote in states like Georgia and Arkansas and give the Democrats there a victory by default.

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