Distribution of votes in the 1888 US presidential election
The 26the presidential election of the United States took place in 1888, and was contested between the Republican Party's Benjamin Harrison, and incumbent President Grover Cleveland of the Democratic Party. The results, like many of the other elections during the period, was very close. Cleveland received a plurality of the popular vote, with over 90,000 more votes than Harrison. In spite of this, Harrison won the popular vote in 20 states, and received a 58 percent share of the electoral votes, compared to Cleveland's 18 states (which returned just 42 percent of the electorate). Harrison won the election, and became the 23rd President of the United States, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, William Henry Harrison, who had been the ninth US President.