 Both candidates believed that the states of New York , New Jersey , Indiana , and Connecticut would determine the election . In New York , Blaine received less support than he anticipated when Arthur and Conkling , still powerful in the New York Republican party , failed to actively campaign for him . Blaine hoped that he would have more support from Irish Americans than Republicans typically did ; while the Irish were mainly a Democratic constituency in the 19th century , Blaine 's mother was Irish Catholic , and he believed his career @-@ long opposition to the British government would resonate with the Irish . Blaine 's hope for Irish defections to the Republican standard were dashed late in the campaign when one of his supporters , Samuel D. Burchard , gave a speech denouncing the Democrats as the party of " Rum , Romanism , and Rebellion " . The Democrats spread the word of this insult in the days before the election , and Cleveland narrowly won all four of the swing states , including New York by just over one thousand votes . While the popular vote total was close , with Cleveland winning by just one @-@ quarter of a percent , the electoral votes gave Cleveland a majority of 219 – 182 . 
