[109]
Garfield and his supporters knew they would face a difficult election without the support of the New York Stalwarts and decided to offer one of them the vice presidential nomination.[110] Levi P. Morton, the first choice of Garfield's supporters, consulted with Conkling, who advised him to decline, which he did.[111] They next approached Arthur, and Conkling advised him to also reject the nomination, believing the Republicans would lose.[112] Arthur thought otherwise and accepted. According to a purported eyewitness account by journalist William C. Hudson, Conkling and Arthur argued, with Arthur telling Conkling, "The office of the Vice-President is a greater honor than I ever dreamed of attaining."[112][j] Conkling eventually relented, and campaigned for the ticket.[115]
As expected, the election was close. The Democratic nominee, General Winfield Scott Hancock was popular and having avoided taking definitive positions on most issues of the day, he had not offended any pivotal constituencies.[116] As Republicans had done since the end of the Civil War, Garfield and Arthur initially focused their campaign on the "bloody shirt"—the idea that returning Democrats to office would undo the victory of the Civil War and reward secessionists.