Back in 1943, Irving Stone wrote a brilliant work, They Also Ran, which provides a historical analysis into the men who lost their respective presidential elections, yet, in some cases, may have actually been better Presidents than those they were defeated by.
The book ends with 1943, which means we never get to see how Stone would have rated men like Stevenson, Humphrey, or the like, which is why I decided that I'd have a few diaries on the 'Also Rans'. The people who might have made a difference, had they only been elected, and let our fellow users decide which one of these Also Rans they think might have made a difference.
And so, I'm diving this up into six separate diaries. The first three will revolve around the Democrats, the second two will revolve around the Republicans, and the final will revolve around the various third party candidates we've seen win actual electoral votes in presidential contests.
Here comes Part IV, which will showcase Republicans from the 19th Century who are classified as 'Also Rans'. In this category, we only have two Republicans - John C. Fremont and James G. Blaine.
The fourth part will be showcasing those Republicans who were unfortunately (or fortunately) defeated in their respective elections in the 19th. Century.
Without further adieu, here they are:
John Fremont was the first Republican nominated for the Presidency, way back in 1856. Fremont was the first candidate of a major party to come out in opposition to slavery. Fremont previously served as Military Governor of California, Governor of Arizona territory, and finally, as Senator from California until 1851. Fremont managed to capture enough electoral votes in 1856 to declare the Whig-Know-Nothing Coalition effectively a thing of the past, yet was unable to capture California, his home state, and thus the election. Fremont would vie for the Presidency again in 1864 in which a group of hardliner Republicans nominated him on the 'Radical Republican' or 'Radical Democracy' party platform. However, this led to nothing in actuality, as Fremont struck a deal with President Lincoln to avoid splitting the vote and handing the election to McClellan. Fremont was defeated by James Buchanan.
James G. Blaine, 'Continental Liar from the State of Maine' was the Republicans' 1884 choice for President. Blaine had served previously as a Congressman, Speaker of the House, Senator, and twice as Secretary of State, so it was only fair Blaine be given his rightful nomination status as a party elder. Blaine was as any other Gilded Age Republican, favoring massively pro-business policies with little regard to those who would be effected by such negligence in the business world. In the 1884 election, he faced off against Grover Cleveland, bringing up a bastard child Cleveland had fathered in a nasty smear campaign against the then governor. In the end, however, it didn't work as Cleveland managed to take the Democrats back to the White House for the first time since 1856, ending twenty-eight years of Republican rule. Blaine was defeated by Grover Cleveland.
I've included a poll as well for you to project your views and such, and please don't forget to comment! :)
They Also Ran : The Republicans - Part V of VI will be posted tomorrow, and it will showcase Republicans from the 20th Century who classify as 'Also Rans', from Hughes to Dole, so stay tuned!
By request, I've included links to past parts of the series, as well:
They Also Ran : The Democrats - Part I of VI
They Also Ran : The Democrats - Part II of VI
They Also Ran : The Democrats - Part III of VI