1880
West Virginia in 1880
The 1880 contest saw West Virginia line up behind Hancock, delivering 5 electoral votes to the Democratic ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — James A. Garfield (Republican) won the presidency, leaving West Virginia among the states he did not carry.
It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which West Virginia backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1872. The region divided — Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky joined West Virginia for the Democratic ticket, while Ohio and Pennsylvania did not. Across the 41 presidential elections West Virginia has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (22 times). The vote fell within the Gilded Age — Industrialization, narrow margins, and patronage politics.
In the national count, James A. Garfield took 214 of the 369 electoral votes, against Winfield Scott Hancock's 155. James A. Garfield led the national popular vote with 48.31% of the ballots cast.
West Virginia in nearby cycles
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