All the while Hancock was posted in New York , he did his best to keep his political ambitions alive . He received some votes at the Democrats ' 1876 convention , but was never a serious contender as New York governor Samuel J. Tilden swept the field on the second ballot . The Republican candidate , Rutherford B. Hayes , won the election , and Hancock refocused his ambition on 1880 . The electoral crisis of 1876 and the subsequent end to Reconstruction in 1877 convinced many observers that the election of 1880 would give the Democrats their best chance at victory in a generation
1876 convention
1876 Democratic National Convention
Winfield Scott Hancock