ABSTRACT
Eisenhower selected Senator Richard Nixon of California as his running mate. Nixon's presence on the ticket pleased Republican conservatives and Taft supporters, especially because Nixon boasted strong anticommunist credentials after having gained national attention for his relentless investigation of accused Communist spy Alger Hiss. Moreover, Nixon's youth-he was 39 years old-would offset Eisenhower's 61 years, and his West Coast roots balanced Eisenhower's East Coast connections.
