Winfield Scott Hancock 1880 presidential campaign

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Winfield Scott Hancock for President
CampaignU.S. presidential election, 1880
Candidate
AffiliationDemocratic Party
StatusLost general election

After serving one term as

Democratic nomination fight

Winfield Scott Hancock

After winning control of both houses of the

New York Governor Samuel J. Tilden decided not to run because of his health and the opposition of Tammany Hall leader John Kelly.[2]

With Tilden's withdrawal, other Democrats entered the race; however, they all had issues. Senator Thomas Bayard of Delaware alienated soft-money supporters with his hard-money stance; his initial support of Southern secession during the American Civil War had also made him vulnerable to Republican attacks. House Speaker Samuel J. Randall was unwilling to campaign and further damaged by Tilden's refusal to endorse him. Meanwhile, 1868 Democratic nominee and former New York Governor Horatio Seymour declined to run again.[2]

Other candidates failed to attract significant support. The party settled on former

congressman William Hayden English was selected as Hancock's running mate.[2]

Campaign

The 1880 Democratic platform was kept vague to hold the party together and avoid alienating any voters.

Results

Garfield ended up winning the popular vote by less than 0.1% (less than 10,000 votes)[4] although he took a 214–155 majority of the Electoral College. Garfield won New York, Indiana, and Connecticut, all of which had voted for Tilden in 1876, allowing him to defeat Hancock.[8][9] The Morey letter may have helped Hancock narrowly win both California and Nevada.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Elections: 1880 Overview, Page 1". HarpWeek. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Elections: 1880 Overview, Page 2". HarpWeek. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  3. ^ "Catalog: Reminisces of Winfield Scott Hancock by his Wife". Budden Brooks. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  4. ^ a b Laskow, Sarah (2017-03-13). "The Enduring Mystery of James A. Garfield's Immigration Scandal". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  5. ^ Gyory, Andrew (2004-10-24). "The Phony Document that Almost Cost a President His Election (No, Not the CBS Bush Guard Memo)". History News Network. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  6. ^ a b "On This Day: July 31, 1880". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  7. ^ a b "Elections: 1880 Overview, Page 3". HarpWeek. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  8. ^ a b "Elections: 1880 Overview, Page 4". HarpWeek. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  9. ^ Leip, David. "1880 Presidential General Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2017-09-18.