The Southern slave owners' independent launch of a Presidential candidate was simply a farce; less than a month into the election, everyone had already dismissed the slave owners' candidate from their sights.
Perhaps seeing the Republican Party's strong position and their own poor showing, the slave owners decisively abandoned their two candidates and decided to return to the embrace of the Democratic Party.
This defection initially boosted the Democratic Party's confidence, but the Republican Party's stronghold in the North was unshakeable. Furthermore, with Florida officially joining the United States, along with the traditionally Republican-controlled Georgia, Virginia and the two Carolina states alone could not compete with the vast Republican Party.
What's more, the number of voters in Pittsburgh and the Ohio area had increased significantly, and they could completely offset the Democratic Party's newly added votes.
Although the Democratic Party and Jefferson had made their utmost efforts, as the election date approached, the Republican Party's Charles' winning momentum became increasingly clear.
Time froze on December 10, 1786, as the official Presidential election began.
That morning, Charles and his wife first went to the Presidential residence to meet Franklin, who was already prepared to move out. They would vacate the Presidential residence before the results of the Presidential election were announced.
"Good morning, Benjamin," Charles stepped forward and kissed Franklin's cheek.
"Good morning, Charles, Diana. Please sit. I've had someone prepare morning tea for you," Franklin greeted the two with a cheerful expression.
"No, we still need to go vote today, so we'll just sit for a bit and then leave," Charles politely declined.
Regardless, out of basic respect for the old Mr. President, he had to visit him first today.
"Oh! Right, look at my memory. I forgot there was voting today; I'll have to go participate later too," Franklin was in high spirits today, with a constant smile on his face.
"Then why don't we go together?" Diana suggested from the side.
"No rush, Diana," Franklin smiled and shook his head, then turned to Charles: "Charles, you are representing our Republican Party in the election. How strong are your chances of winning this time?"
Franklin was very concerned about the Republican Party.
"Haha! According to our internal pre-election survey, we have about 60% support, while other candidates... only Jefferson has 35% support. Adams is no threat at all," Charles stated clearly.
With the election about to take place, there was no longer any need to conceal this information.
"Haha, that's good. For the Republican Party, as the first ruling party, to consecutively win three Presidential elections is truly remarkable. Charles, there are some things I may not have the chance to tell you after I leave the Presidential residence. Now that you are already the interim Mr. President and have a very good chance of winning the next general election, for the sake of this country, and for you to better serve as Mr. President in the future, I think it's best I tell you," Franklin's expression became solemn.
"Please speak, Mr. President. My visit today was precisely with the intention of seeking your advice," Charles also straightened his expression, ready to listen to the former Mr. President's admonitions.
As an old Mr. President, regardless of how he governed this country in the past, he certainly possessed experience that a new incumbent would lack. Charles was very interested in hearing Franklin's sharing of experience. Even if Franklin hadn't offered, he would have sought his advice proactively after being elected.
"Charles, during my more than seven years as Mr. President, the country did not experience any particular crises. I also did not achieve any particularly great political successes. Because we are a nascent nation. Both our citizens and the surrounding countries are unfamiliar with our government. So, at this time, I did not focus on showcasing ourselves, fearing that the populace would become overly excited and unable to accept future tranquility. I feared that surrounding countries would be overly surprised and unable to tolerate our rise."
Charles nodded, indicating his understanding of Franklin's approach.
"But after these few years, what our citizens and our neighboring countries are truly like has largely been understood. So I can give you clear advice. Charles, our citizens are people who long for freedom more than power, and for wealth more than power. And each of our neighbors harbors self-interest towards us, but they are not united. As long as you give them enough benefits, you can incite them to fight amongst themselves for us. I know all that you did in France. The only advice I can give you is not to get too deeply involved. Maintaining the balance of power in Europe is not most beneficial to Britain, but to our United States! As long as the balance of power in Europe can continue, in a hundred years, it will be the time for our United States to rise!"
Franklin's words made Charles nod in agreement.
Although he understood these principles in his heart, he couldn't have as deep an appreciation for them as Franklin. After hearing Franklin's words, his understanding in this area became even more profound.
Franklin was not like some people who become particularly talkative as they age. Although his body could not move, his mind was still very sharp. After speaking, he felt he had made himself clear enough and said no more.
He had originally planned to go vote together, but this not-so-brief conversation had made Franklin a little mentally tired, so he could only rest for a while before doing so.
The Charles couple bid farewell and went directly to the polling station in Philadelphia to cast their votes.
People passing by saw Charles and all doffed their hats and bowed:
"Good morning, Mr. President!"
"Mr. President! You will surely win."
Charles did not engage in real conversation with the crowd, but simply smiled, tipped his hat a few times to show his gratitude and greetings. After voting, he directly accompanied Diana back to earl's castle to prepare for the move.
Although Franklin had moved out and the interim Mr. President would only have one more month to reside in the Presidential residence, Charles was unconcerned. He was very confident in his election; even if it wasn't a landslide victory over Jefferson this time, he certainly wouldn't lose. The key to the Presidential residence, no matter how one looked at it now, could not possibly be given up again.
"Diana, thank you for your constant support these past few years. I believe that no matter what we encounter in the future, we will always be together. I love you, my dear!"
On the night they moved into the Presidential residence, Charles was especially tender towards his wife, Diana Rogers.
By evening, many clearer survey results had emerged, and victory in this election was essentially a foregone conclusion. As he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life, Charles' emotions ran deep.
"Charles, no matter where we are, I will be with you. I love you too!" Diana was also very moved.
She was a woman who enjoyed activity but also cherished her family.
Over these past few years, she had been enjoying both the happiness of family and her work. In her view, this was also a sign of Charles' love for her. As for her love for Charles, there was naturally no doubt about it.
After these years, the feelings between the two had endured most trials and entered a mature and stable phase, able to face most storms without wavering. On December 12, 1786, with news quickly transmitted by steamboat, the Pennsylvania election results were officially announced: the Republican Party had won all electoral college seats.
When the results were announced, the entire hall erupted in cheers.
As the Republican Party's stronghold, this landslide victory had been predicted by everyone before the voting. Therefore, those who came to see the results were mostly Republican Party members or supporters, and they naturally cheered in unison for the Republican Party.
Three days later, results from the surrounding states also gradually came in.
Except for Virginia, which was undoubtedly completely taken by the Democratic Party, the Republican Party won in all other states, including the newly opened Ohio. Adding up the winning electoral votes from each state, the Republican Party had already won more than two-fifths of the total. With just one or two more states completely won, Charles could declare an early victory.
And these results officially came out on the fifteenth!
Although Massachusetts only had a few electoral votes, they all went to the Republican Party, bringing Charles' electoral college count to exactly half.
Charles, who had already moved into the Presidential residence, immediately delivered a speech on the lawn, announcing his election victory.
Because Adams had also won some votes in one district, it was almost certain that Jefferson could not surpass Charles, so Charles was naturally the official President-elect.
After the Presidential residence announced the victory, the Federalist Party, having been severely hit by the previous election results, had little reaction. However, within the Democratic Party, there was a surge of outrage.
In the newly tallied results, Jefferson had won Virginia and the North and South Carolina, the two traditional Democratic states, and his electoral college count was similar to Charles'. But now, Charles' premature declaration of victory dealt a major blow to the Democratic Party, which had held out great hope.
"This is cheating!"
"The election isn't over yet, we need to wait for the final results!"
A group of people roared in anger.