The Election of 1838
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After being elected governor of Pennsylvania in 1835, Anti-Masonic and Whig candidate Joseph Ritner served a successful term. Along with his unofficial advisor Thaddeus Stevens and Secretary of Commonwealth Thomas H. Burrows, Ritner used Public Works as a great political instrument, with the government owning all internal improvements and subsequently providing thousands of men with jobs. Thus, by the time of the 1838 election, it came as a shock to Whigs and Anti-Masons as Ritner was defeated for re-election by the Democratic candidate David Rittenhouse Porter. The campaign was considered very bitter, with Porter winning by a slim majority of 5,496 in a total vote of 250,146. This election was significant in regards to financial patronage, seeing as if the sitting governor and his party could gain control both branches of legislature, he would have the ability to control all appointments on a state level. The Whigs and Anti-Masons set out to contest Porter's election, and having already gained a majority in the Senate, they only needed to secure a majority in the House of Representatives.
Read more about this topic: Buckshot War
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