The Draft Eisenhower movement reemerged in 1951 in both the Republican and Democratic parties , as Eisenhower had not yet announced any political party affiliation and believed that he needed to remain nonpartisan , citing Army regulation 600-10.18 . i forbidding partisan political activity by serving officers . Democrats sought a candidate who could help them retain the White House after Truman , who many felt could not win re-election . Hoping that Eisenhower would run on behalf of the Democratic Party , Truman wrote to Eisenhower in December 1951 , saying : " I wish you would let me know what you intend to do . " Eisenhower responded : " I do not feel that I have any duty to seek a political nomination . " Republican New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge , Jr. of Massachusetts meanwhile worked to persuade him to run . Lodge began encouraging Eisenhower to run more than two years before the 1952 Republican National Convention , and Dewey on 15 October 1950 had announced his support for the general . Irving Berlin even included a song called " They Like Ike " in his Broadway Musical Call Me Madam , which opened in October 1950 . Republican admirers coined the phrase " I like Ike " ( referring to " Ike " , Eisenhower 's nickname ) in the spring of 1951 as a symbol of their hopes . The " I Like Ike " slogan was created when Peter G. Peterson of Market Facts ( who would later be Secretary of Commerce under Richard Nixon ) did research for the campaign and found out more people wanted to talk about how they trusted and felt comfortable with Ike , rather than describing their views on all the issues . Thus , " I Like Ike " went on all Ike paraphernalia
1952 Republican National Convention
1952 Republican National Convention
Draft Eisenhower movement