The GOP was fortunate enough to even have a prayer of winning the Presidency, let alone winning an outright majority. The economy was terrible, the once-popular Grant administration had been tainted by several scandals, and the Democrats nominated a popular hero in Samuel Tilden. Then there's the fact that the Democrats used voter suppression, aided by white racist violence, to prevent African-Americans from voting in the South. The only reason that Hayes was able to become President despite clearly losing the election was A) the commission determining the outcome of the election was controlled by partisan Republicans and B) a crooked deal with the South to make Hayes President in exchange for an end to Reconstruction.
And all that happened by nominating Hayes. A war veteran, unoffensive to many, and Governor of a key state - Hayes was by far the best Republican candidate in 1876. Just about any other Republican candidate would have lost. In order to get the GOP to win outright in 1876, you'd have to prevent the economic depression (which didn't just occur in the U.S.) and make Grant consult the Senate before nominating men to the Cabinet - none of which can be accomplished with a single POD.