1876
Reading the 1876 result in West Virginia
West Virginia backed Tilden (Democratic) in the 1876 presidential election, casting 5 electoral votes for the ticket. The presidency went elsewhere: Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) won nationally, while West Virginia had backed a different ticket.
West Virginia stayed in the Democratic column for the 2nd straight cycle, extending a run that began in 1872. The region divided — Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky joined West Virginia for the Democratic ticket, while Ohio and Pennsylvania did not. Over its 41 recorded presidential cycles, West Virginia has backed the Democratic party more than any other — 22 times in all. The vote fell within the Gilded Age — Industrialization, narrow margins, and patronage politics.
Nationally, Rutherford B. Hayes finished with 185 of the 369 electoral votes to Samuel J. Tilden's 184. Though Rutherford B. Hayes won the Electoral College, Samuel J. Tilden drew more of the national popular vote — 50.92% to 47.92%.
West Virginia in nearby cycles
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