ring ▁fa ctions , ▁each ▁with ▁cre ative ▁names . ▁The ▁side ▁that ▁held ▁the ▁upper ▁hand ▁in ▁numbers ▁and ▁popular ▁support ▁were ▁the ▁Half - Bre eds , ▁led ▁by ▁Senator ▁James ▁Bla ine ▁of ▁Maine . ▁The ▁Half - Bre eds ▁supported ▁civil ▁service ▁reform , ▁and ▁often ▁blocked ▁legisl ation ▁and ▁political ▁appoint ments ▁put ▁forth ▁by ▁their ▁main ▁con gression al ▁oppon ents , ▁the ▁St al w arts , ▁led ▁by ▁Ros co e ▁Con k ling ▁of ▁New ▁York . ▁ ▁Iron ically , ▁Bla ine ▁was ▁from ▁the ▁reform ▁wing ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁party , ▁but ▁the ▁M ug w umps ▁rejected ▁his ▁candid acy . ▁This ▁division ▁among ▁Republic ans ▁may ▁have ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁victory ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 4 ▁of ▁Gro ver ▁Cleveland , ▁the ▁first ▁president ▁elected ▁from ▁the ▁Democratic ▁party ▁since ▁the ▁Civil ▁War . ▁In ▁the ▁period ▁from ▁ 1 8 7 6 ▁to ▁ 1 8 9 2 , ▁president ial ▁elections ▁were ▁closely ▁cont ested ▁at ▁the ▁national ▁level , ▁but ▁the ▁states ▁themselves ▁were ▁mostly ▁domin ated ▁by ▁a ▁single ▁party , ▁with ▁Democr ats ▁prev ail ing ▁in ▁the ▁South ▁and ▁the ▁Republic ans ▁in ▁the ▁N ortheast . ▁Although ▁the ▁defe ction ▁of ▁the ▁M ug w umps ▁may ▁have ▁helped ▁Cleveland ▁win ▁in ▁New ▁York , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁few ▁closely ▁cont ested ▁states , ▁histor ians ▁attribute ▁Cleveland ' s ▁victory ▁nation wide ▁to ▁the ▁rising ▁power ▁of ▁urban ▁imm igr ant