June 24, 1950:
In a campaign that will long be remembered as one of the nastiest in history, Sen. Frank Porter Graham of North Carolina is defeated in the Democratic primary runoff by Willis Smith, an attorney and strong segregationist. Smith, who had trailed Graham in the initial May primary by 53,000 votes, wins the runoff by 20,000.
Graham, considered a strong ally of President Truman, was accused by Smith of being "pro-Negro" and "pro-Communist." Graham had been appointed to the Senate seat last year following the death of J.M. Broughton (D).
Smith will easily win the seat in November but he won't hold it for long; he dies on June 26, 1953 of coronary thrombosis.
Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.
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