Team Stassen for the presidential elections. While this was unsuccessful, his networking and hard work in politics paid off when he became the 33rd Governor of Wisconsin in 1951. Walter had experienced politics first hand, being active in his father's reelection campaign in 1932. After returning from the war, he thought of running for the United States Senate, but that was also the driving ambition of Joseph R. McCarthy, an ex-Marine who had run for the Senate two years earlier. Walter had little choice but to step aside. In the late 1940s, Walter rose within the Wisconsin Republican Party by making friends, working for others, and winning the support of industrialist Tom Coleman, a dominant force within the Party. In 1948, Kohler was a delegate to the national convention and made it clear that he was a moderate Republican in the mold of the Republican presidential candidate, Thomas Dewey. Dewey's unpredictable loss to Harry S Truman prompted many Republicans for the next few years to employ "Red Scare" tactics. The practice of "irresponsibly" labeling Democratic opponents as Communists or pro-Communists would help many of them win office. Kohler was never sympathetic to the right-wing, McCarthyite wing of the party. Still, he made infrequent gestures in that direction to appeal to the many Wisconsinites who were certain that their junior senator's charges were on target. Moreover, Kohler thought that at times, such as in the case against Alger Hiss, McCarthy and his allies were on the right track. Governor of Wisconsin In 1950, Walter was elected governor, winning 59 of 71 counties in what was a Republican sweep of state offices. Legislators, journalists, and the public soon praised his friendliness, hard-work, and integrity. During the next two years, Wisconsin prospered economically, had a budget surplus, and enjoyed tax cuts. Of 55 specific gubernatorial proposals for legislation, 47 were passed. The package included two civil rights measures, a hike in old age pensions, and improved unemployment and workmen's compensation benefits. During his re-election bid in 1952, Kohler worked successfully for the nomination of moderate Dwight D. Eisenhower. When the candidate was about to campaign in Wisconsin, Kohler privately asked Eisenhower to alter a proposed Milwaukee speech that was critical of McCarthy. At the heart of the request was the desire to unify Republican Party and to carry Wisconsin at the polls. Eisenhower reluctantly agreed, and the strategy largely paid off. Republicans won