He needs to get elected to a more prominent office, I'd say. Have him enter the Senate in 1789 or 1793. If he becomes well-known enough for the Senate, and if Jefferson has an unfortunate accident, he could conceivably win in 1800 as a Democratic-Republican. If you want him as a federalist (I can't find which party he would be), you could have him become Adams' VP somehow, and Adams retires and Cabarrus runs and wins.