In 1884 President Chester Alan Arthur was rather popular with much of the country, yet the onset of Bright's Disease prevented him from waging an active fight for his party's nomination. Further, tensions between reformers and conservatives halted the momentum that did exist for his nomination. Ultimately, the Republicans selected the notoriously corrupt James G. Blaine who narrowly lost to Cleveland. Had Arthur aggressively fought for his party's nomination, he could've won it and defeated Cleveland. What would've happened as a result? One thing to keep in mind is that Abraham Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, would probably have become Arthur's VP - making him President upon Arthur's death in 1886.