Current Presidential race sets up a rarity

By Tom Emery

Former President Trump is the odds-on favorite to win the Republican nomination for President in 2024. If he succeeds, he will be on a rare path in American history.

Only one former President has lost a re-election bid, then won his way back to the White House. That chief executive was Grover Cleveland, the only President in American history to serve non-consecutive terms.

The rise, fall, and comeback of Cleveland is one of the most curious tales in U.S. political history. A former mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York, Cleveland’s first bid for the Presidency in 1884 was nearly derailed by a sex scandal.

Cleveland had apparently been involved with Maria Halpin, a 33-year-old widow who dated a variety of men at the same time. In September 1874, she bore an illegitimate son, claiming Cleveland was the father.

As reference historian William DeGregorio writes, “although Cleveland was unsure of the child’s paternity, he accepted responsibility rather than burden the other potential fathers, all of whom were married.” Since Cleveland was a bachelor, “he had the least to lose from such an admission.”

The child became fodder in the 1884 Presidential race, as Cleveland’s Republican opponents chanted “Ma, Ma, where’s my pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!”

Rather than run from the issue, Cleveland freely admitted his indiscretion. Despite the buttoned-up Victorian era, his candor struck a chord with voters, who appreciated his honesty. Cleveland won a narrow victory over former Secretary of State James Blaine by 63,000 popular votes, with a close 219-182 decision in the electoral college.

Like most chief executives of the time, Cleveland was a hands-off President. He was challenged in 1888 by former U.S. Sen. Benjamin Harrison of Indiana, and a remarkably civil campaign ensued. One observer admiringly wrote that “I cannot recall another presidential contest…with greater dignity and decency than that between Cleveland and Harrison.”

Cleveland won the popular vote by just over 100,000 tallies, but Harrison prevailed 233-168 in the electoral college.

The 1892 race pitted Harrison and Cleveland once again in what DeGregorio called “a rather lackluster campaign.” The tariff was the key issue, but both sides suspended campaigning after the death of First Lady Caroline Harrison on October 25, two weeks before the election.

This time, Cleveland won decisively, with a margin of 390,000 votes, and rolled 277-145 in the electoral college. He is one of only two Presidents to win the popular vote in three straight elections. The other is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who won four consecutive times from 1932-44.

The 1892 Cleveland-Harrison race is also unusual in American politics, as rematches have occurred only a handful of times, and may happen again this year if the predictions of a Trump-Biden repeat hold true.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson faced off in both 1796 and 1800, while John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson met in 1824 and 1828. Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison were the main candidates in 1836 and 1840.

Each of those matchup was a split, with the incumbent losing the second time. In two other cases, one candidate swept the meetings, as William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan in both 1896 and 1900, while Dwight Eisenhower won over Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956.

Three former Presidents have tried to win their way back on a third-party ticket. Van Buren ran on the Free-Soil ticket in 1848, collecting ten percent of the popular vote but no electoral votes. In 1856, Millard Fillmore did better for the American party, winning 22 percent of the popular vote and eight electoral votes.

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, who was denied the Republican nomination in favor of incumbent William Howard Taft, formed the Bull Moose party. Roosevelt ultimately finished second in a three-man race, losing to Woodrow Wilson, and collected 88 electoral votes with 27 percent of the popular tallies.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].