 According to historian Stanley Jones in his account of the 1896 campaign , " another feature common to the Reed and Allison campaigns was their failure to make headway against the tide which was running toward McKinley . In fact , both campaigns from the moment they were launched were in retreat . " In March and April 1896 , state conventions in Ohio , Michigan , California , Indiana , and other states elected delegates to the national convention , instructed to vote for McKinley . In New England , McKinley made inroads into Reed 's regional support , as New Hampshire proclaimed no preference between the Speaker and McKinley , and the Vermont convention expressed support for McKinley . The Ohioan was not successful everywhere ; Iowa remained loyally behind Allison , Morton won a majority of the New York delegation , and the bosses were successful in denying McKinley in New Mexico Territory and Oklahoma Territory . The contest was still undetermined going into the April 29 Illinois state convention , with the McKinley forces led by Dawes against the local bosses . McKinley gained most of Illinois ' delegates , giving him a sizable lead , and influencing remaining state conventions to jump on his bandwagon . 
