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In reply to the discussion: Democratic Donor Contacts Biden Allies About Possible Run [View all]SheilaT
(23,156 posts)with at least three or four, maybe more, candidates in actual contention. This was relatively common in the 19th and into the first part of the 20th centuries when caucuses and primaries were nonexistent. Several states would have their favored sons, and various politicos would back one candidate or another, and lots of lots of back room wheeling and dealing went on.
If you haven't already read Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, do so, or at least the chapters that tell of how James A. Garfield wound up as the Republican nominee for President in 1880. THAT was a brokered convention. The book is worth reading anyway, because Garfield's brief time in office really did have an impact, even though he is almost entirely forgotten today.