Tags: Progressive Era
The Mugwumps were Republican political activists who supported Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the United States presidential election of 1884. They switched parties because they rejected the financial corruption associated with Republican candidate James Blaine. In a close election, the Mugwumps supposedly made the difference in New York state and swung the election to Cleveland. The term derives from “mugguomp” in Massachusett, an Algonquian language once spoken in the area, where it means “war leader”.