What Are Mugwumps?
Mugwumps were members of the Republican party of American politics who, during the 1884 presidential election, chose not to support the Republican candidate and instead rallied behind the Democratic candidate, Grover Cleveland. While the term has had a number of different meanings and is used only in fairly unusual or specialized circumstances today, the common usage is meant as a reference to the political mugwumps of the late 19th century, and it is typically used to refer to those who turn against their own group, usually in a political sense. In the 1884 election, Grover Cleveland won the election, and his victory in several key states, such as New York, is often cited as being due to the actions of the mugwumps in those regions.
