Nation: How Deep?

A Republican Congressman who normally would be a shoo-in for reelection, but who concedes that he may now be in real trouble, is Minnesota’s two-term Clark MacGregor, 42.

By almost anyone’s standard, MacGregor is an attractive politician. A 6-ft. 3-in. former Dartmouth athlete who won World War II field promotions from Army private to second lieutenant for his intelligence work behind Japanese lines, Attorney MacGregor knocked off six-term Democrat Roy Wier in 1960. He breezed to re-election in his suburban Minneapolis district in 1962. Spotted as one of his party’s brightest young men, MacGregor was given a coveted spot on the Judiciary Committee, played a key role in shaping the 1964 Civil Rights Bill.

The latest Minnesota poll, published by the Minneapolis Tribune, shows Lyndon Johnson leading Barry Goldwater by an amazing 74% to 22% in the state. MacGregor thus suffers from identification on the ticket with Goldwater. At the same time, a diehard segment of Goldwaterites in his district threatens to boycott MacGregor because he was a strong supporter of Bill Scranton at San Francisco.

Caught in this crossfire, MacGregor tries to explain his position. “I’ve been a lifelong unreconstructed Republican, and I support all Republicans from President down to county commissioner,” he says. “I do not agree with every position Goldwater has taken. But I respect his courage and his honesty. It would be the most blatant hypocrisy for Republicans who supported other candidates to pretend now that Senator Goldwater was their first choice—but let’s remind ourselves that Lyndon Johnson wasn’t our choice at all.”

That sounds reasonable enough, and MacGregor is still favored to win reelection, but there is still a big “but.” One of MacGregor’s political foes, State D.F.L. Chairman George Farr, expresses it well. “MacGregor is a good, articulate man, an exceptional campaigner,” says Farr. “But the question is: How deep does Goldwater cut?”