 | |
| Campaign | U.S. presidential election, 1880 |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Winfield Scott Hancock Major General (1844–1886) William Hayden English U.S. Representative forIndiana's 2nd district (1853-1861) |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Status | Lost general election: November 2, 1880 |
After serving one term asU.S. President,Rutherford B. Hayes announced that he would not seek re-election in1880. Thus, the 1880 election ended up being fought betweenRepublicanJames A. Garfield, the winner, andDemocratWinfield Scott Hancock.[1]
After winning control of both houses of theU.S. Congress in 1878, Democrats felt that voters could elect a Democrat as U.S. President for the first time in 24 years. Early frontrunner1876 Democratic candidate and formerNew York GovernorSamuel J. Tilden decided not to run because of his health and the opposition ofTammany Hall leaderJohn Kelly.[2]
With Tilden's withdrawal, other Democrats entered the race; however, they all had issues. SenatorThomas Bayard ofDelaware alienated soft-money supporters with hishard-money stance; his initial support of Southern secession during theAmerican Civil War had also made him vulnerable to Republican attacks.House SpeakerSamuel J. Randall was unwilling to campaign and further damaged by Tilden's refusal to endorse him. Meanwhile,1868 Democratic nominee and formerNew York GovernorHoratio Seymour declined to run again.[2]
Other candidates failed to attract significant support. The party settled on formerUniongeneralWinfield Scott Hancock. He was acceptable to all factions of the party, had a reputation for integrity,[3] and had no negatives. Hancock won the Democratic nomination with 705 delegates on the second ballot at the1880 Democratic National Convention. FormerIndianacongressmanWilliam Hayden English was selected as Hancock's running mate.[2]
The 1880 Democratic platform was kept vague to hold the party together and avoid alienating any voters.[2] During the campaign, Hancock and the Democrats attackedJames A. Garfield, the Republican nominee, for his involvement in theCredit Mobilier scandal and his alleged support of unlimited Chinese immigration as evidenced by the forgedMorey letter, which Garfield publicly denied having written.[2][4][5] Meanwhile, Republicans attacked the Democrats by associating them with theConfederacy and calling attention to their alleged support for lowprotective tariffs in contrast to Republican support for higher tariffs.[2] Republicans made much of Hancock's statement that "the tariff question is a local question". The former general had meant merely that it was for the voters to decide through their elected representatives in Congress, but it was used to suggest he did not understand the issue.[2][6] Republicans avoided direct attacks on Hancock's character, instead focusing on his lack of political experience. They also circulatedpartisan rumors about how he had allegedly plotted to overthrowPresident Lincoln during theCivil War and had engaged in corrupt business practices while serving inLouisiana duringReconstruction.[6][7]
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 theElectoral College. Garfield wonNew York,Indiana, andConnecticut, 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 bothCalifornia andNevada.[7][8]
