Lincoln writes to Iowa Governor James W. Grimes, who asked Lincoln to campaign there on behalf of Republican candidates. Lincoln resists, and explains, "First I can hardly spare the time. Secondly, I am superstitious. I have scarcely known a party, preceding an election, to call in help from the neighboring states, but they lost the state. . . . It seems to stir up more enemies than friends. Have the enemy called in any foreign help. If they have a foreign champion there, I should have no objection to drive a nail in his track." Abraham Lincoln to James W. Grimes, 12 July 1856, CW, 2:348.