Trouble for the Democrats.

In the early months of the campaign season Democrats eagerly anticipated recapturing the presidency, especially since President Harding, a well-loved Republican, had died and the Teapot Dome scandal promised to taint the Republican Party. The Democrats' hopes waned as Coolidge successfully distanced himself from the scandal, and their leading candidate, William McAdoo — President Wilson's treasury secretary and son-in-law — became more closely associated with the scandal, as well as with the Ku Klux Klan. Democratic success in 1924 depended on party unity, but Democrats could not find a single issue that could bring together the party's disparate constituents. Prohibition loomed as one divisive issue. "Wets" and "dries" each had a candidate who shared their views. The increasingly prominent Ku Klux Klan attracted many Democrats but repelled many others. As was evident in the 1922 election, Democrats were gaining voters...