Both parties courted Eisenhower, who had not made his politics known. In 1952, he accepted the Republican nomination to run with Richard Nixon as his vice president. They were opposed by Democrat Adlai Stevenson. Both Eisenhower and Stevenson ran vigorous campaigns. The main issues were how to deal with communism at home and abroad and how to cut governmental waste. War hero Eisenhower ended up winning with 55 percent of the popular vote and 83 percent of the electoral vote.

In 1956, Eisenhower was easily nominated to run again, and again he was opposed by Stevenson. Prior to the campaign, Eisenhower had suffered a heart attack, and this health concern was one of the main issues that Stevenson used against him. Also at issue was whether or not to end the draft. Eisenhower felt that maintaining the draft was important for national security. In the end Eisenhower proved to be even more popular, winning 57 percent of the popular vote.