 Wallace had a strong base of support among farmers, had been a loyal lieutenant in both domestic and foreign policy, and, unlike some other high-ranking New Dealers like Harry Hopkins, was in good health.However, due to his liberal stances and former affiliation with the Republican Party, many conservative Democratic party leaders disliked Wallace.Roosevelt convinced James F. Byrnes, Paul V. McNutt, and other contenders for the Democratic vice presidential nomination to support Wallace, but conservative Democrats rallied around the candidacy of Speaker of the House William B. Bankhead of Alabama.