Close Calls and Defeats
From 20th Century History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by Hon. William A. Rockel
Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1908
Notwithstanding the fact, however, that the county has been heavily Republican or Wjig, once in a while that party would have a close call for its candidate, or receive a defeat. Notably in this line was the congressional campaign of 1868 between John H. Thomas and J. J. Winans, of Xenia, in which Winans was elected by a plurality of ninety-nine. In the county election of 1886, upon the return of the votes cast for sheriff as made on the evening of election, William B. Baker, who was a candidate for re-election for sheriff, appeared to be defeated by nine votes and was so considered until the Canvassing Board in going over the returns discovered that the precinct of Selma, which had just been created, had been over-looked and that that preciact gave a majority of sixteen votes in favor of Baker, and thereupon Baker was declared elected by the bare plurality of seven votes.
Daniel Raffensberger, a Democrat, was elected sheriff in 1846. Jacob Seitz, Democrat, was elected Commissioner in 1867, and John H. Blose, Democrat, in 1872, was also elected connnissioner. Two years previous to this Blose had defeated S. A. Bowman, one of the most distinguished members of the Springfield Bar, as a member of this county to the Constitutional Convention. This is about the extent of the success of opposition candidates in Clark County. In 1886, strange as the combination seemed at the time it was made, the Democrats and Prohibitionists united and elected Chas. E. Gillen as county commissioner. Gillen, however, was a Prohibitionist and not a Democrat.
In the roster of county officials it appears that H. S. Showers, a Democrat, was recorder, but that was by appointment and not by election. So Madison over served seven weeks by appointment from a Democratic governor as probate judge in the early part of 1891. S. S. Cox, a Democrat, represented this congressional district in Congress in 1863-5, the only Democratic member of Congress that ever represented Clark County.