After much debate, Congress created a bipartisan Electoral Commission to settle the issue. The Constitution offered no guidelines to resolve the problem.
However, the remaining 20 electoral votes from South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and one in Oregon were disputed because there had been considerable fraud and voter intimidation in these states. Initial election returns indicated that Tilden had won with 184 electoral votes and 51 percent of the popular vote against Hayes’s 165 electoral votes and 47.9 percent of the popular votes. Once again, former U.S. soldiers paraded for the Republican candidate. The Democrats emphasized the scandals of the previous administration with the slogan “throw the rascals out.” Using a tactic called “waving the bloody shirt,” Republicans continued to assail the Democrats as the rebellious party in the Civil War. Even though the candidates had similar reform platforms, the campaign rhetoric was harsh. The Democratic Party nominated New York governor Samuel Tilden, who had gained a reputation for honesty by exposing and prosecuting the corrupt Boss Tweed ring of New York City. He was a Civil War veteran and Ohio governor who promised civil service reform.
Most of the Liberal Republicans of the 1872 campaign rejoined the main Republican Party to select Rutherford Hayes as its candidate. Grant wanted to run for a third term, both the Republican and Democratic parties desired reform candidates with reputations for integrity and honesty. Scroll down the page to learn more about specific election years.Īlthough President Ulysses S. This section contains information and memorabilia on the elections from 1876 to 1920.
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