Coolidge's Quiet Campaign.

As in 1920 Coolidge stayed close to home and ran a low-key campaign. Rather than engage Davis and La Follette in debates on particular issues, Coolidge preferred to campaign on general principles such as economy in Government. When Coolidge did not speak in generalities, he did not speak. Silence became a major part of his strategy, as he essentially ignored both the issues and his opponents. He left the hard-core campaigning to his running mate, Charles Dawes, whose direct and competitive style often led to conflict, especially with La Follette, who became Dawes's favorite target after early polls indicated La Follette was ahead of Davis in California and a Literary Digest postcard canvass, hardly an accurate poll, showed strong support for La Follette throughout the nation. Dawes willingly engaged in demagoguery, falsely associating La Follette with communism.

Davis's Conservatism.

The...