1872 United States Presidential Election

1868 Presidential Election - 1876 Presidential Election

Results
The election of 1872 was mainly centered around the character, policies, and notoriety of former Governor of Tennessee Joseph Brosnahan. In the 1856 Presidential Election, Brosnahan was associated with the American Rebels which was classified as a terrorist organization, and he faked his death to escape capture by the U.S. Army. He was stuck in a legal limbo for quite a while, until the courts acquitted him of any charges, thus leaving him eligible to run for President in 1872. Brosnahan acquired a cult following, which allowed him to beat out the other Republicans at the convention, making him one of the most controversial people to ever be nominated for President by a major political party. After the past failures by Democrats to nominate a northern moderate, they decided to nominate Samuel Tilden, Governor of the pivotal state of New York, a bourbon Democrat. During the campaign, Brosnahan caused controversy by announcing he would reduce the powers of the 1st amendment to "stop discrimination of or poking fun of Native Americans". This caused massive backlash across the political spectrum, which hurt his campaign. This was the first Presidential election to hold debates. During the debates, Brosnahan and Tilden discussed and debated on topics such as tariffs, freedom of expression, and international expansion. Tilden won in a landslide, winning every single state and electoral vote, the first time this has been done since Harry Biring's victory in 1812 where he experienced a war time boost.