Commanding General of the U.S. Army Ulysses S. Grant was the unanimous choice of the Republican convention delegates for president.

If that trend continued in the 1867 elections, then the party's presidential nomination would likely go to a Radical like Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase or Senator Benjamin Wade.

The election results bolstered the case of the moderate Republicans and seemed to close the door to a Radical nominee.

Georges Clemenceau, a Paris Temps journalist who would later be the French premier, reported accurately that "The real victims of the victory of the Democrats are Mr. Wade and Mr.

[2] Colfax was popular among Republicans for his friendly character, party loyalty, and Radical views on Reconstruction.