 The 1894 election campaign saw the Democrats divided , and the electorate further split by the new People 's Party ( or Populists ) , which had emerged from the agricultural discontent . There were more demands for McKinley to speak than he could possibly fulfill . Campaigning throughout the eastern half of the country on behalf of Republican candidates , and venturing even to New Orleans , in the Democratic Solid South , McKinley spoke to large , enthusiastic crowds as often as 23 times in a day . According to his biographer , Margaret Leech , " McKinley 's fervor was irresistible to his audiences . He was better than a <unk> . He was a vote @-@ getter . The whirlwind campaign of the Governor of Ohio was a sensation of the autumn . " The 1894 elections saw the Democrats suffer the greatest losses by a majority party in congressional history , as the Republicans again took control of both houses . 
