Wednesday, April 29, 2015

What was unusual about Benjamin Harrison's win in the election of 1888?

Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) won the presidential election of 1888 as the Republican candidate because he had a majority in the Electoral College: 233–168. However, Grover Cleveland, the incumbent, won 100,000 more popular votes than Harrison. The Electoral College had also been different from the popular vote, deciding the election of 1876.
The election was also unusual because Harrison was the first grandson of a former president to run for the presidency. His grandfather was William Henry Harrison, who was briefly president in 1841.
The election of 1888 was also fraudulent in Harrison's home state of Indiana. Capturing Indiana was an important part of the Republicans's strategy in 1888. The GOP employed "floaters" to cast ballots in Indiana for Harrison. These "floaters" were not residents of Indiana, but they were paid to cast votes in that state. The strategy worked: Indiana went to Harrison, helping him secure his Electoral College majority.
https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1888

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-vote-that-failed-159427766/

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