Opening on June 5, 1888, the Democratic National Convention at the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall made history by renominating Grover Cleveland for a second term. This move marked the first time a Democratic president had received a consecutive second-term nomination since 1840, setting up an explosive ideological war over the future of the American economy.
Cleveland staked his entire reelection campaign on a platform of radical tariff reduction, arguing that high import taxes unfairly protected corporate monopolies while gouging everyday consumers. His Republican rival, Benjamin Harrison, fiercely countered that high tariffs were vital to safeguard American factories from foreign competition. This deep economic divide ultimately cost Cleveland his home state of New York and the White House, despite his victory in the national popular vote.
