Nixon Supporters Sip Drinks, Undisturbed by Mass. Defeat

As their candidate suffered his only statewide defeat in the country, about 200 Nixon supporters happily, but quietly, sipped drinks and gloated over President Nixon's national landslide at the Massachusetts Committee to Re Elect the President Committee headquarters on Washington Street.

The affluent, conservative's dressed gathering did not seem particularly disturbed by President Nixon's failure to carry Massachusetts, nor particularly jubiliant over the President's anticipated re-election.

A group of female "Nixonettes" composed of Melrose High School and UMass cheerleaders attempted to inspire chants of "four more years" but the celebration retained the atmosphere of a suburban cocktail party.

Fair Weather Voters

Lt. Governor Donald Dwight the state campaign chairman had hoped the large voter turnout would bode well for the Nixon campaign in the state Commenting that Nixon supporters in Massachusetts were complacent and more easily discouraged by bad weather than the hard core McGovern devotees he predicted early in the evening that yesterday's fair weather would bring about a heavier than expected turnout among Nixon voters.

According to Dwight the National Committee to Re-Elect the President had written off Massachusetts and originally allocated a token $40,000 for the state campaign. He added that rigorous local canvassing and encouraging polls had prompted the national headquarters in contribute another $30,000 to the Massachusetts campaign.

However, Dick Daley, the Massachusetts CREEP press officer added. "You could spend that much and still only run a mediocre Congressional campaign."

Less than 20 per cent of Massachusetts's registered voters are Republicans. About half of the state's voters are independent and according to Daley, they traditionally split evenly between the two major parties.

There was a smattering of young people in the middle-aged gathering. Many of the young Nixon supporters were girls from Bradford and Wheaton Colleges. One Bradford girl commented. "Oh, we love President Nixon at Bradford."

The non-partisan bartenders took a dim view of the proceedings. When asked what he thought of President Nixon, one bartender commented. "Not much." When asked what he thought of his clientele for the evening, he said, "Even less."

The one-dollar price of the drinks did not inhibit the Nixon celebrators, but it did discourage members of the press.

They're free at McGovern headquarters said one student reporter, as he wandered off into the Washington Street combat zone.