The roll call began at 4:52 p.m. It took hours, and at the end, Truman had 319½ votes to Wallace’s 429½. Fifteen other candidates had gotten votes, and no one man had a majority. Two things became clear: There would have to be a second ballot, and those who had voted for anyone other than Wallace or Truman would have to choose from one of those two, in order for one to achieve a majority—589 votes. Democratic committee members scrambled to sway the vote in Truman’s favor. The final ballot kicked off around 7 p.m. Halfway through, no clear winner had emerged—until, that is, the roll call
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