Grant vs Seymour, 1868

     Ulysses S. Grant, Union General, faced New York Governor Horatio Seymour.

     Reconstruction was the big issue. 

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Frank Blair Jr., was a loose cannon who unintentionally proved to be one of the best weapons in the Republican arsenal. [...] Blair came from a prominent political family, had founded the Free-Soil [anti-slavery] party in Missouri, served in the Union military, and lost his wealth financing the Union cause. After the war, however, he became a vocal critic of Radical Reconstruction. During the 1868 campaign, Blair advocated nullification of the Reconstruction Acts and predicted that a Grant presidency would degenerate into a military dictatorship. His harsh words and abrasive personality tended to alienate potential supporters.

From Harpweek