The headline was from the ‘48 election - Truman was already in office but only because he succeeded FDR after his death, so 48 was really his first run at being president even though he was currently serving. 22nd amendment didn’t apply to him due to grandfathering in.
But Truman opted not to run again ‘52, so Stevenson got the nomination and Eisenhower proceeded to mop the floor with him.
Truman had terrible approval ratings at the time (Korean War mostly, but more to it I’m sure) and stronger contenders for the Dem nomination, that’s probably why he gave up.
Yes, we tend to forget how unpopular and socialist Truman was!
Thanks for that explanation. I grew up in NYC, so of course I knew many people who still mourned the lost Stevenson presidency.
Perhaps we are living it now!