1789 General Election - Main Campaign Thread (Results)

[Donerail]

Faction Announcement: The Western Faction stands for the rights and interests of all inhabitants of that country, beginning at the base of the Allegheny Mountain range, and all points west, to the border between our nation and Spanish Louisiana. Accordingly, our candidates stand for freedom of trade and navigation, for further settlement in the West, for protection of our Western settlements from Indian raids, and for full political representation for the Western states. Led by General James Wilkinson, who will be standing in the district of Kentucky, the Western Faction will stand candidates in the districts of Wilkes in Georgia, Newberry Courthouse–Ninety-Six in South Carolina, Transylvania and Yadkin in North Carolina, Kentucky, Shenandoah and Kanawha in Virginia, Frederick in Maryland, and Ontario & Montgomery in New York, as well three candidates in the at-large contest in Pennsylvania.

[Donerail]

James Wilkinson Schedule

January 3rd: Gen. Wilkinson announces the campaign of the Western faction in Lexington, Kentucky, the heart of the constituency in which he will be standing. He then meets with local supporters, including many of those with whom he has worked on presenting Kentucky's petition for statehood.

January 5th: Gen. Wilkinson makes a public appearance in Danville, Kentucky, where the state's most notable men have historically met to draft the state constitution. In the appearance, he pledges to his full commitment to Kentucky's statehood, mentioning that no other parties have taken a position on the issue of whether the men of Kentucky are entitled to the fundamental right of self-governance.

January 6th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Harrod's Town, where he gives a speech discussing the importance of free trade and navigation for Kentucky farmers seeking to sell their products without being forced to travel across the mountains.

January 8th: Gen. Wilkinson meets with local religious leaders in Fort Logan, highlighting his party's commitment to Protestant moral values as the founding principles of the nation.

January 10th: Gen. Wilkinson arrives in Mundy's Landing, where he highlights the importance of a small central government to individual freedom, and expresses his concern that the government created by the Constitution may grow to become threatening of those freedoms.

January 12th: Gen. Wilkinson gives a speech to local residents in Milford, discussing the importance of representation in the Senate to guaranteeing Kentucky's interests be represented in government.

January 14th: Gen. Wilkinson gives a speech in Hopewell highlighting the importance of maintaining American independence, mentioning that other factions elsewhere in the nation had suggested rapprochement with the British, and concluding with the message that the Western faction can be trusted to ensure continued independence.

January 17th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Maysville, also known as Limestone, where he discusses the city's great future as a primary port on the Ohio River, highlighting the importance of free navigation along the entire length of the Mississippi as essential to that destiny.

January 20th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Baird's Town, where he discusses the party's focus on supporting Western settlers like the residents of Baird's Town, and his commitment to further expansion west.

January 22nd: On to Louisville, discussing similar themes as in Maysville.

January 26th: Gen. Wilkinson arrives at the trading post of Mansker's Station, Tennessee, where he introduces himself and discusses the importance of trade without restrictions to the continued flourishing of such places.

January 27th: Gen. Wilkinson speaks on the importance of using military force to ensure the security of frontier settlements at Fort Nashborough.

February 1st: Gen. Wilkinson arrives in Rogersville, where he discusses the continued threat of Indian attacks even this far east, and the need to guarantee defenses against such attacks.

February 3rd: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Greeneville, where he praises the town's settlers for attempting to establish the State of Franklin and swears to support their cause.

February 5th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Jonesborough, where he praises the town's settlers as the first pioneers to establish a city in Tennessee.

February 7th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Blountville, where he meets with local religious leaders.

February 9th: Gen. Wilkinson visits with settlers in Brown's Ford, NC, discussing the importance of a small central government to minimize intrusions in their lives and liberty.

February 11th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Morganton, where he discusses how lowering tariffs will lead to great prosperity for farmers, particularly tobacco farmers.

February 13th: At a speech in Rutherfordton, Gen. Wilkinson addresses the recent allegations levied against his faction by the so-called "Patriots," which he describes as "incoherent babbling."

February 16th: In Spartanburg, South Carolina, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the need for a national discussion focused on the needs of small farmers as the bedrock of society, rather than getting bogged down in abstract discussions only of concern to the wealthy.

February 18th: At a speech in Greenville, Gen. Wilkinson highlights the importance of trade to bringing prosperity to even small farmers, by influencing the prices of the markets at which they sell their crops.

February 19th: Gen. Wilkinson meets with farmers in Easley, SC, to discuss similar topics as before.

February 23rd: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Pendleton, SC, and mentions the importance of visiting small towns in order to gauge the attitude of the nation, an implicit criticism of other campaigns that have focused primarily on larger cities.

February 25th: In the area of Gum Log, Georgia, Gen. Wilkinson discusses a recent epidemic of horse theft, and the proper role of the federal government as a guarantor of internal security against Indian raids.

February 27th: In Greensboro, Gen. Wilkinson highlights his focus on small farmers and their economic security as a unique focus among factions, and urges voters to elect his faction in order to guarantee some representation of their specific concerns in Congress.

February 28th: At Heard's Fort, Gen. Wilkinson praises town residents for their role as Georgia's capital in 1780, and discusses the importance of state self-determination. The Western Faction, it must be noted, is the only one that stands specifically for statehood for all of the western territories.

March 2nd: At Ninety-Six, South Carolina, Gen. Wilkinson attacks the "Patriot" faction, describing them as representing the interests of large planters instead of small farmers.

March 5th: In Statesville, North Carolina, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the importance of tariff relief for small farmers.

March 7th: In Salisbury, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the importance of westward expansion as delivering new markets and new sources of wealth for all people in the nation.

March 9th: In Germanton, Gen. Wilkinson praises local Germans for deciding to settle in the area, specifically highlighting those Hessians who served on the American side under his command.

March 11th: In Mount Airy, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the importance of stagecoaches to the local economy, and suggests the removal of obstacles to internal transportation will be a key goal of the Western faction.

March 13th: In Blacksburg, Virginia, Gen. Wilkinson reiterates his party's commitment to representing all men of the west, noting that the concerns of Blacksburg sound similar to those he had heard elsewhere, but quite different from large eastern cities.

March 16th: Traveling to Ft. Lee, Virginia, Gen. Wilkinson highlights his military experience as giving him the expertise needed to secure the frontier against Indian attacks.

March 18th: In Lewisburg, Virginia, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the history of Dunmore's War and praises the bravery of local residents in opening the West for settlement.

March 20th: In Franklin, Gen. Wilkinson praises the emergent commerce of an area settled just a few years prior, reemphasizing his party's support for expansion west.

March 21st: In Leadsville, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the importance of the local river to farming, and pledges to preserve free navigation on such commercially important waterways as a major priority in Congress.

March 23rd: In Clarksburg, Gen. Wilkinson criticizes tariffs as destructive of small farmers in particular, blaming them for hindering the settlement of rural areas.

March 25th: In Morgantown, Gen. Wilkinson criticizes the difficulty with which residents could travel to Richmond, emphasizing the importance of improving the means of internal travel and ensuring accessible representation for all citizens.

March 27th: Gen. Wilkinson travels to Cumberland, Maryland to meet with local merchants and religious leaders.

March 30th: In Hagerstown, Gen. Wilkinson discusses the importance of farming and how preserving and promoting farms ought to be the highest economic priority of any government.

March 31st: Gen. Wilkinson encourages voters in Frederick and gathers with supporters to watch results.