Campaign Church's campaign contrasted his
fitness with that of Welker. His slogan, "Idaho Will Be Proud of Frank Church", was a major asset to his campaign. Church also campaigned on an
internationalist plank, in favor of a publicly owned
Hells Canyon Dam and was conservative on money matters. Welker's campaign focused heavily on
anti-Communism, a decision that proved to be a weak political foundation. The Welker campaign also ran on his record, as well as the "Herman letter", in which President Eisenhower endorsed Welker's candidacy, although he pointedly refused to campaign in person for Welker. One of the issues was whether the proposed
Hells Canyon Dam would be a single "high dam" (which would have been publicly built and owned) or a private three dam project. Welker wanted a private dam with one of Church's aides saying "The campaign was Frank Church against
Idaho Power. They fought him tooth and nail." Church was for a high dam, although the Western Political Quarterly described his support for the high dam as "mild", Lyndon Johnson's biographer
Robert Caro says that this was the central issue in this election and the Governor's election in the same year, and noted that Church's
maiden speech was on the dam. and labelled Church a candidate of "corporate interests". 1956 should have been a good year for a Republican candidate with Eisenhower winning a plurality of 61,111 in Idaho. The defeat increased Democratic control of the Senate and led to much anger within the Republican Party, with Joseph McCarthy even accusing President
Dwight Eisenhower of not supporting Welker's reelection campaign enough.
Endorsements Results == See also ==