In the Election of 1864, what was Abraham Lincoln's main goal compared to McClellan's?

In the Election of 1864, Abraham Lincoln's main goal was to preserve the Union during the ongoing Civil War. His focus was on reuniting the North and South, emphasizing the importance of national unity. Lincoln believed that the survival of the United States as a single nation was paramount, and therefore he sought to continue the war effort to restore the Union, which contrasted starkly with George McClellan’s more conciliatory approach. McClellan's platform advocated for a peace agenda that suggested negotiating with the Confederacy, which could potentially lead to a compromise that might not prioritize the reestablishment of the Union as Lincoln envisioned.

While the other options touch on significant themes of the era, such as the abolition of slavery and the balance of state and federal powers, they do not encapsulate the overarching goal Lincoln pursued in the context of the election. Ending slavery indeed became a crucial part of Lincoln’s presidency, particularly with the Emancipation Proclamation, but his immediate aim in that election was focused on the Union's integrity. The notion of expanding westward was not a primary goal during this particular context of the Civil War and the election, and states' rights were a contentious issue that played a role in the war, but