The 1891 McKinley-Campbell Ohio Gubernatorial Debate and the Draw That Still Splits America

Abstract

The 1891 McKinley-Campbell Ohio Gubernatorial Debate and the Draw That Still Splits America Robert Klotz (bio) Thick smoke from a fifty-gun salute drifted over the heads of the approximately twelve thousand spectators who had gathered for a debate in Ada, Ohio, on October 8, 1891. The smoke was the only thing that muted the sparkle of the day. The previous night's rain had given way to sunshine. The village of Ada was covered in red, white, and blue decorations. As James Campbell began speaking, he was interrupted by the brass band playing as part of a late arriving club. Campbell said, "We will suspend till the rest of the State gets in."1 Everybody wanted in to witness the momentous candidate debate. The outcome would shape American history and more than a century later, the debate still echoes an enduring division in American politics. It was an unlikely year for such a historic event since 1891 was an off, off-year election with no scheduled presidential or congressional races. The governor's race in Ohio was the only real story, but what a story it was. Even if the center of US population had recently drifted a few miles west of Ohio, the center of US politics remained in Ohio. Two rising stars with national political ambitions were participating in the only debate of the campaign. The press coalesced around one historical analogy: "The debate between Campbell and McKinley to-day in Ohio attracts about as much attention as the famous Douglas-Lincoln debates in 1858."2 [End Page 32] competitors The two participants in the debate had parallel careers. Both Republican challenger William McKinley and Democratic incumbent James Campbell fought for the Union in the Civil War. They then proceeded into careers in the law. Both married and became known as devoted husbands. Both were lifelong residents who set themselves up for careers in Ohio politics with McKinley based in Stark County in northeast Ohio and Campbell in Butler County in southwest Ohio. The first elective office for each was serving a two-term stint as elected county prosecutor. When the opportunity presented itself, both made successful runs for Congress. Seen as rising stars, McKinley and Campbell became targets for the perpetual gerrymandering of congressional districts by the Ohio State Legislature. In 1884, the Democratic legislature tried to gerrymander McKinley out of Congress by replacing Republican areas in his district with Democratic ones to make it a majority Democratic district. The race finished in a virtual tie with McKinley initially seated but later removed by a Democratic Congress that threw out enough of his votes to seat the Democrat. In 1886, the now Republican legislature reinstated McKinley's original district and tried to gerrymander Campbell out of Congress by adding Republican areas to his constituency. Campbell managed to win 15,303 to 15,301. In 1888, faced with a difficult district and Republican momentum, Campbell decided to leave Congress and focus on improving his finances.3 In 1890, the Democratic legislature designed a gerrymander to defeat McKinley, who put up a valiant fight but could not overcome his new huge party disadvantage. The battles of McKinley and Campbell with gerrymanders had raised their national profiles. Gerrymandered out of office, McKinley and Campbell plotted their next moves to reach their goal of becoming president of the United States. Choosing an office that would make him immune to gerrymandering, James Campbell decided to run for governor of Ohio in 1889. He defeated Republican incumbent Joe Foraker with 50.7 percent of the two-party vote. Having just won a prominent Republican-leaning electoral battlefield, he was regularly asked about a potential run for president or vice president. Although he dismissed the talk, Campbell traveled to other states and otherwise acted like a potential candidate. He decided to run for another two-year term as governor in 1891. [End Page 33] For his part, McKinley considered running for governor in 1891, running for Congress in a new district in 1892, or just flat-out running for president in 1892. His adviser, Mark Hanna, encouraged him to run for governor to earn his electoral bona fides. McKinley initially resisted. He...