he ran as the 'dry ' candidate in a state that increasingly wanted to legalize liquor , and this stand alone got him a solid 30 % of the vote right out the gate , but he had trouble attracting much of a following beyond that , in spite of putting thousands of dollars into yard signs and redwhiteandblue boater hats , but when he finally got close in the polls his opponent mentioned the fact that years ago shepherd had been briefly committed to an asylum .