 Prominent Kentuckians – including Senator Earle C. Clements, Governor Lawrence Wetherby, and Lieutenant Governor Emerson "Doc" Beauchamp – supported the candidacy.Exactly two months after Truman's announcement, Barkley declared his availability to run for president while maintaining he was not actively seeking the office.Barkley's distant cousin, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II (grandson of former vice president Adlai Stevenson I), was considered his primary competition for the nomination, but had not committed before the convention.