Giant Multi-state “Exchanges” Unite the North
The Governor’s race in Connecticut was merely the first of a wave of summertime State House elections before the November Presidential. That summer, there are gubernatorial elections in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. To mobilize all of the young people in these 3 states, Sperry’s idea of intercity excursions is built to spread and grow. Congealing county-by-county, and then regionally, eventually clubs from multiple states travel interstate to cause as large a spectacle as possible. A new political party with radical ideas requires a bandwagon effect. The “excursion” system culminates in four super-rallies, planned for the weekend before the 3 State House elections. Parades and rallies larger than any in living memory turn low-information voters into fans. At the Republican National Convention in Chicago, the assembled Wide Awakes swarm the city demanding radical policies be included in the Party platform. One of the last of Michigan’s intracity rallies before the great journey to Chicago sees 50 Michigan Wide Awake companies converge on Detroit for a rally so large that young Wide Awakes make up 10 percent of the city’s total population that day. The Republicans win all three Governor’s races.