Campaign Trail Results: Game #884648
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1844
- Player Candidate: James K. Polk
- Running Mate: Levi Woodbury
- Difficulty Level: Impossible
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Henry Clay | 251 | 1,524,644 | 56.30 |
| ---- James K. Polk | 24 | 1,074,000 | 39.66 |
| ---- John Tyler | 0 | 60,217 | 2.22 |
| ---- James Birney | 0 | 49,188 | 1.82 |
Answers:
- What points will emphasize in your acceptance letter, as you accept the Democratic nomination for President?My position on Texas is known. I will explain my own background more carefully, and emphasize that the Democrats are a national party that fights for the benefit of all sections.
- You are known as a supporter of annexation on the Texas front. Do you have anything you would like to add, now that you have been nominated?I obtained my nomination based on the Texas issue, and people know that. We need to pivot now, and make the case for other parts of our platform.
- John Tyler is pleased with your position on the Texas issue, and is prepared to withdraw his candidacy. Can you give him assurances that certain appointees of his will be safe in their positions, should you be elected?John Tyler lacks any broad base of support. It's more important to reserve these appointments for loyal Democrats.
- Can you elaborate on why your allies intervened so strongly on behalf of Levi Woodbury, to be your running mate?Mr. Woodbury was a critical part of Jackson and Van Buren's Cabinets, and he has the right viewpoint on the Treasury and tariff questions.
- Cassius Clay, a cousin of Henry Clay, has published a letter stating Henry Clay is in accord with the abolitionist movement. Should your party disseminate copies of this letter as an attack?Let's not appear too hasty here. We need to run as a national party and avoid alienating Northerners.
- Do you believe that any Southern Whig can call themselves a supporter of slavery, so long as Henry Clay equivocates on the Texas issue?We don't really need to address this question one way or the other. Let's just run our campaign and get our own views out.
- Do you have any statement on the presence of Theodore Frelinghuysen on the Whig ticket, and his association with known anti-Catholic agitators?We won't have much to say about Frelinghuysen. He seems to avoided the vices which have plagued Henry Clay throughout his life.
- For better or worse, many view you as a protege of Andrew Jackson (some call you “Young Hickory”). Is it better to embrace this label, or to distance yourself from it?There's no need to talk about Andrew Jackson at this point. Let's focus on Texas and other issues of our current time, rather than rehashing the battles of a decade ago.
- Henry Clay supports the idea that the federal government should purchase the telegraph patent and manage the technology. To what extent should you attack him on this?We don't need to hammer on the internal improvements issue. We have other things to talk about which will better unite the party.
- Should your party attack Henry Clay's personal conduct? His gambling, womanizing, dueling, and generally irreligious nature?The passions of these times seem to be towards someone who is more righteous in their behavior. We should attack Clay's conduct, and especially in the Northeast.
- Silas Wright, the protege and successor to Van Buren, has been mentioned as a candidate for Governor of New York. He seems hesitant. Will you write him a letter imploring him to enter the race?This is an issue of state politics that I will stay removed from.
- There have recently been riots and armed clashes between nativists and Irish immigrants in Philadelphia and elsewhere. Do you have any plans to condemn the nativist violence in these episodes?Our national party should avoid addressing this issue.
- What do you make of Martin Van Buren's 1842 visit to Henry Clay's estate? Is Clay too friendly with Northern interests?This episode shows that Mr. Clay is, at heart, an insider who is overly favorable to Northern politicians. It brings to mind the Corrupt Bargain of a prior election.
- Would you support the annexation of Texas, even without an agreement with Mexico, and a possible war?I would hope that we could negotiate an annexation with Mexico before moving forward, to avoid any diplomatic incidents.
- What should your party's position be on the Tariff of 1842, which increased tariffs?We stand steadfast in support of this tariff. It is one of the few positive accomplishments of Mr. Tyler's so-called Presidency.
- Do you believe that some revenue should be set aside from our tariffs to finance internal improvements, such as canals and roads?This is one of the key objectives of our current tariff policy, and I would support a strong infrastructure program as President.
- What is your current position on the banking system?I stand for a national bank, broadly similar to the late Second Bank of the United States.
- Do you support an Amendment that would limit the President to a single term in office?I don't think that this is a necessary step, at this time.
- Aside from the issue of Texas, do you support the expansion of the United States in general? Into Oregon, other parts of Mexico, Cuba, etc.?I am against the annexation of Texas. And just to show that this does derive from sectional prejudice, I am also against expansion into Oregon or other regions.
- Would you sign a law that lowered tariffs below the level needed to protect American industry from foreign imports?I would be forced to veto such a measure as President.
- Do you agree with Robert Walker's letter, arguing that that slavery issue will be diluted by national expansion?I believe this letter to be disingenuous at best. Further expansion will reopen the debate on slavery rather than suppress it.
- Regardless of your personal feelings, would you sign an act which established an independent Treasury for the government's funds?I would prefer a national bank, but I would be willing to sign a bill which created an independent Treasury.
- What is your position on the Oregon boundary question?We need to negotiate a permanent agreement with Great Britain that grants some of all of the Oregon Territory to the United States.
- Do you have any criticism of the authorities in Illinois, regarding their failure to properly protect Joseph Smith before his assassination in June?This is not an issue that we plan to address in our campaign.
- Is there a particular state where your party should concentrate its resources and most talented speakers as the election draws near?Pennsylvania