 In 1940 , Ralph Flanders ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U. S. Senate . His Republican primary opponent was George Aiken , the popular two @-@ term Governor of Vermont . Although Flanders admired and liked Aiken , he felt that Aiken 's " liberal " ideas would not help the nation ’ s economic recovery . In 1990 , one of Vermont ’ s major newspapers , The Rutland Herald described the 1940 Republican primary campaign as dirty and mean . Aiken ’ s side accused Flanders of selling arms to the Nazis , and Flanders ’ s side suggested that " Aiken was unduly influenced by his administrative assistant , a pretty 24 @-@ year @-@ old with a fondness for power . " In retrospect , Flanders felt that he had allowed his campaign advisers to make too many of the decisions . For example , a campaign brochure showed the candidate wearing a three @-@ piece suit and holding a piglet in his arms . Although he had grown up on a subsistence farm and had an active interest in Vermont agriculture — especially in the type of hog shown in the picture — this had the effect of making him appear to be a phony . The Rutland Herald observed that , “ In Vermont in 1940 , pigs were common to many households . But so was common sense . There were many people , most in fact , who did not want as their representative someone who would wear his best clothes if he intended to be handling pigs . ” Aiken won by 7 @,@ 000 votes , having spent $ 3 @,@ 219 @.@ 50 to Flanders ’ s $ 18 @,@ 698 @.@ 45 . This campaign taught Flanders that “ I had to be myself . ” 
