1888 United States presidential election

The 1888 United States presidential election was the 26th election in the history of the United States. It occurred on November 6, 1888. This election was between Incumbent President Grover Cleveland of New York and former U.S Senator from Indiana and grandson of former President William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison. Harrison won the election with 233 electoral votes. Cleveland got only 168 electoral votes.

1888 United States presidential election

November 6, 1888
401 members of the Electoral College 201 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout	80.5% Increase 3.0 pp
File:Benjamin Harrison (official Presidential portrait, 1895) crop1.jpg File:Sarony, Napoleon, (Stephen) Grover Cleveland cropped.jpg Nominee Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland Party Republican Democratic Home state Indiana New York Running mate Levi P. Morton Allen G. Thurman Electoral vote 233 168 States carried 20 18 Popular vote 5,443,892 5,534,488 Percentage 47.8% 48.6%
350px Presidential election results map. Red denotes those won by Harrison/Morton, blue denotes states won by Cleveland/Thurman. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.
President before election Grover Cleveland Democratic Elected President Benjamin Harrison Republican

Presidential

• Benjamin Harrison, former Senator from Indiana (1881-1887) (Nominee)
• John Sherman, Senator of Ohio (1861-1877; 1881-1897)
• Russell A. Alger, former Governor of Michigan (1885-1887)
• Walter Q. Gresham, Former Secretary of the Treasury from Indiana (1884)
• William B. Allison, Senator of Iowa (1873-1904) (Withdrew after 7th Ballot)
• Chauncey Depew, President of the New York Central Railroad from New York (1885-1898) (Withdrew after 3rd Ballot)
• Jeremiah M. Rusk, Governor of Wisconsin (1882-1889) (Withdrew after 3rd Ballot)
• Edwin H. Fitler, Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1887-1891) (Withdrew after 1st Ballot)
• Joseph R. Hawley, Senator of Connecticut (1881-1905) (Withdrew after 1st Ballot)

Not nominated

• James G. Blaine, Former United States Secretary of State from Maine (1881; 1889-1892) (Recommended Harrison)
• John J. Ingalls, Senator of Kansas (1873-1891)
• William W. Phelps, Congressman of New Jersey (1873-1875; 1883-1889)
• William McKinley, Congressman of Ohio (1877-1884; 1885-1891)
• Frederick Douglass, Suffragist (1844-1895) and former abolitionist of Washington D.C. (1844-1865)

Vice-presidential

• Levi P. Morton, former Minister to France from New York (1881-1885) (Vice-Presidential Nominee)
• William W. Phelps, Congressman of New Jersey (1873-1875; 1883-1889)
• William O'Connell Bradley, Republican gubernatorial candidate in the 1887 Kentucky gubernatorial election

Democratic Party

• Grover Cleveland, 22nd President of the United States (1885-1889) (Nominee)

Vice-presidential nominee

• Allen G. Thurman, former Senator of Ohio (1869-1881) (Vice-Presidential Nominee)
• Isaac P. Gray, Governor of Indiana (1880-1881; 1885-1889)
• John C. Black, United States Commissioner of Pensions (1885-1889)

1888 United States Presidential Election Media

• Republican Disc.svg

  Republican Party (United States)

• BHarrison.jpg

  Former Senator Benjamin Harrison of Indiana.

• Levi P. Morton (US vice president, NY governor) (cropped).jpg

  Levi P. Morton (US vice president, NY governor)

• 1888RepublicanPoster.png

  1888 Republican platform and presidential nominees

• Man leaning on Harrison and Morton campaign ball - DPLA - 97880414f6b42124cbd190c670b7b85b.jpg

  Man leaning on Harrison and Morton campaign ball.

• Democratic Disc.svg

  Democratic Party (United States)

• Grover Cleveland Portrait.jpg

  Grover Cleveland, facing right; 1888

• AllenGThurman.png

  Allen G. Thurman. Library of Congress description: "Thurman, Hon. Allen G. Senator of Ohio. Born in Lynchburg, Va. Nov 13, 1813".

• 1888DemocraticPoster.png

  1888 Democratic platform and presidential nominees