In the weeks prior to the election, Wilson began to worry that, were he to lose the race to Hughes, he would remain a lame duck until March of 1917; for Wilson, this was problematic, given that the United States was likely on the eve of its entry into the First World War. Wilson thus decided that, were Hughes to win, he would immediately appoint him to be his secretary of state. Wilson and his vice president, Thomas R. Marshall, would then resign, allowing Hughes to immediately ascend to the presidency, thereby allowing the nation to avoid a lengthy lame duck period.