The Election of 1876
Going into the election, James Blaine remained confident on his chances.
With Peter Cooper on his side, many a Greenback voter would vopte for him.
Also, trying to slander Samuel Tilden as a Conservative who would bow to the will of the former Confederates in the south certainly helped. A campaign poster showed Tilden saluting the Confederate flag, and selling his soul to devil who looked suspiciously like Jefferson Davis in exchange for victory. At the bottom of the poster it said in big block letters- "Americans, will you let this happen?"
The answer would be a resounding "no".
James Garfield helped out in home state of Ohio, and Ohio's block of votes went quickly for Blaine. Cooper helped in Indiana, it's block of votes when into the Blaine camp.
In the south, Blaine gained a toehold in the tropical state of Florida, winning it by about a thousand votes. The rest of the South went solidly for Tilden.
Towards the northeast, Tilden took his home state of New York, along with solidly Democratic New Jersey, but Blaine took New England's votes.
At the end of the day, Blaine took victory. The next day, Tilden conceded.
In his inauguration speech, the next March, Blaine promised several things. Thse things were often called "Blaine's 5 Points" they were-
1. Work to track and stomp out corruption
2. Work to rebuild the South
3. Work to create Negro equality
4. Work to settle disputes between Natives and settlers in the West
5. Work to increase commerce across the country
Hence began the Presidency of James G. Blaine.