The race for Ohio Governor in 1877 was one of the most bizarre in state history. The campaign began in the summer with the Democratic Party headed for certain victory. The mood of the electorate shifted in late summer, and gaffes by third parties set the stage for a narrow Democratic win.
Nominations
The Ohio Democratic convention met on 7/25/1877. Though the party sensed victory and in particular wanted revenge for Hayes being declared the presidential winner the previous year, once the party assembled, it fell into an array of irreconcilable cliques. The convention ended up nominating R.M. Bishop, a wealthy man who was said to be willing to "bleed" himself for the party. [NYT 8/1/1877]
The Republican State Convention was held in Cleveland on 8/1/1877. The delegates were torn about Pres. Hayes' Southern policy, and most of the convention's actions were tainted with the issue. William H. West, a pro-Hayes judge, was nominated for Governor on the second ballot with 355 votes to 278 for anti-Hayes judge Alphonso Taft and 18 for S.S. Warner. [NYT 8/2/1877]
Campaign
The campaign began with the release of information about Bishop that nearly ruined his campaign and which had not been mentioned at the Democratic state convention. Bishop had been a Know Nothing in the 1850s and was at the time of the election a Prohibitionist. While the delegates were told he would spend up to $200,000 on the campaign, he only promised to spend $6,000. [NYT 8/1/1877] Som
[More...]The race for Ohio Governor in 1877 was one of the most bizarre in state history. The campaign began in the summer with the Democratic Party headed for certain victory. The mood of the electorate shifted in late summer, and gaffes by third parties set the stage for a narrow Democratic win.
Nominations
The Ohio Democratic convention met on 7/25/1877. Though the party sensed victory and in particular wanted revenge for Hayes being declared the presidential winner the previous year, once the party assembled, it fell into an array of irreconcilable cliques. The convention ended up nominating R.M. Bishop, a wealthy man who was said to be willing to "bleed" himself for the party. [NYT 8/1/1877]
The Republican State Convention was held in Cleveland on 8/1/1877. The delegates were torn about Pres. Hayes' Southern policy, and most of the convention's actions were tainted with the issue. William H. West, a pro-Hayes judge, was nominated for Governor on the second ballot with 355 votes to 278 for anti-Hayes judge Alphonso Taft and 18 for S.S. Warner. [NYT 8/2/1877]
Campaign
The campaign began with the release of information about Bishop that nearly ruined his campaign and which had not been mentioned at the Democratic state convention. Bishop had been a Know Nothing in the 1850s and was at the time of the election a Prohibitionist. While the delegates were told he would spend up to $200,000 on the campaign, he only promised to spend $6,000. [NYT 8/1/1877] Some Democratic leaders complained that the party had been "sold out" in an effort to keep the Republicans in power. [NYT 9/5/1877]
Meanwhile, West rejected the Republican state platform, which had been widely ridiculed in the press. This move, ostensibly taken to rid himself of an inconsistency in the monetary planks, also gave West leeway in setting his own agenda separate from the President's approval in the state. [NYT 8/18/1877]
The major question mark in the race was the Workingmen's Party. This third party was rather small, but when the Ohio Grange decided that it did not like the existing nominees, it joined with the Workingmen Party in a call for a state convention. This move was interpreted as damaging to the Democrats, as it was considered to be a means of dividing the anti-Hayes vote. [NYT 8/18/1877]
The strength of the Workingmen's Party was highly debated, but within weeks the party divided in two. One faction rejected the state ticket, held its own convention, and endorsed the Greenback ticket. [NYT 9/29/1877]
Rumors spread that George H. Pendleton was working with the Workingman to get their support for his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, even if it meant the defeat of Bishop. [NYT 9/5/1877]
With few differences of policy, the campaign became dominated by men who sought the upcoming seat in the U.S. Senate but who were ostensibly campaigning for the state tickets. These included Republicans Stanly Matthews, Alphonso Taft, and James A. Garfield and Democrats George H. Pendleton and Thomas Ewing. [NYT 9/28/1877]
The Vote
The weather was sunny on election day of 1877 (note that Ohio's state election day had not yet been shifted to the current date). While normally good weather would increase voter turnout, that did not take place. Furthermore, German voters in many precincts abandoned the two main parties. Reporters noted the largest degree of ticket splitting in memory. [NYT 10/10/1877] Bishop ended up the victor, carrying with him a majority of the legislature.
[Less...]
271,625 (48.94%)