assistant to the state's attorney in Baltimore. That was especially surprising since Nice was a Republican in a city predominantly run by Democrats. It is still rumored that Kelly, seeking to confirm and show the Democratic Party leadership, which trying to oust him, that he was still the top Democratic boss in Baltimore, pulled a few strings to get Nice appointed as a sign of just how powerful he was to any would-be political challengers. The election year of 1919 saw the political winds of fortune blowing strongly in the direction of the GOP in Maryland but nationally as well. Convinced and initially backed by Kelly, Nice resigned as assistant state's attorney and cast his hat into the gubernatorial race. However, Nice then made a costly mistake. In speeches during the campaign, Nice promised to clean up the dirty underworld politics of the Democrats and their political bosses and ensure elections were fair and open to everyone. Ballot stuffing, voter fraud, and outright voter intimidation were common, especially in large cities like Baltimore. The speeches were taken by "Boss" Kelly as a slap to the face, the man he had helped build politically was out condemning him and his business in public. While Kelly was no doubt enraged, he was probably more embarrassed then anything else, as the other Baltimore bosses saw it as weakness believing Kelly had no real control over his candidate, as he had often claimed. In a last-minute decision on election day, "Boss" Kelly, switched his support from his former friend, Harry Nice, to Albert Ritchie and swung just enough votes Ritchie's way to give him the narrowest margin of victory in Maryland history. Out of nearly 225,000 votes, Ritchie won with a mere 165 votes to spare, defeating Republican challenger Harry W. Nice 112,240 to 112,075. Across the state, however, Republicans gained control of the legislature and succeeded in electing Republicans to both mayor of Baltimore and attorney general. First term Ritchie proved one of the last strong upholders of states' rights, gaining national prominence in 1922 with his stand against President Harding during the Western Maryland coal strike, and his strenuous opposition to the Volstead Act (prohibition). His legislative program was in three main areas: state government reorganization, increased representation for Baltimore, and reduction in the number of elections. The first governor of Maryland reelected since the Civil War, Ritchie loomed as a serious