The correct answer to this open question is the following.
The group of people that “championed” Thomas Watson due to the support he gave them in the early part of his political career were African Americans and farmers.
Thomas Watson (1856-1922) was a politician from the state of Georgia that in 1896 received the support of the Populist Party to contend as a vice president of the United States. He received the support of African Americans and farmers. although later in his career he changed his mind and assumed an intolerant position.