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→Contested Presidential Elections in the 19th Century
Perhaps the most disputed election in US history is the presidential election of 1876, which saw Rutherford Hayes (Republican) vs. Samuel J. Tilden (Democratic). In that election, Tilden had obtained the majority of the popular votes and, initially, the majority of the electoral votes (Tilden had won 184 electoral votes to Hayes's 165). However, 20 electoral votes were unresolved from the states of Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Each party declared their candidate won but ultimately it could not be resolved with ballots or the electoral votes. In the so-called compromise of 1877, the election was resolved by the Democratic party agreeing to give 20 electoral votes to Hayes in exchange for the Republicans withdrawing troops from the South, who had been there since the end of the Civil War, and formally ending Reconstruction. That compromise had long-lasting effects on the suppression of black voters, particularly as Jim Crow laws gained power in the South, but in the immediate sense it resolved the election. That election was notable for having the highest voter turnout (81.8%) and the narrowest electoral college victory for the winning candidate (185 to 184).
The 1888 presidential election saw Democratic President Grover Cleveland of New York run against Republican Indiana U.S. Senator Benjamin Harrison. Harrison was able to carry the electoral votes and beat out Cleveland who carried the majority of voters. The electoral results were 233 vs. 168 for Harrison. What marred the election was the Harrison campaign was caught by the Cleveland campaign in attempting to buy votes. Local leaders in Indiana were promised funds to buy votes in Indiana and the letter stating this was found by the Democratic party. In fact, besides Indian, there could have been attempts to buy votes in New York, which may explain how Cleveland lost his home state that he was widely expected to win. While Cleveland ultimately lost his re-election bid, he was able to successfully run in 1880, becoming the only president with non-consecutive terms.
==Later Contested Elections==