Due to the increase of the Governor's term to three years, in 1878 there was only one officer to be elected statewide: a judge of the Court of Appeals, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William F. Allen[2] in June 1878.
Ex-Secretary of State Gideon J. Tucker (in office 1858-1859) was nominated for the Court of Appeals after the first ballot in which he had an equal number of votes as James Wright, a lawyer from Elmira, who withdrew.
The Republican state convention met on September 26 at Saratoga Springs, New York.
[4] The Republican judge was elected due to the "spoiler candidate" Tucker who diverted a large number of votes in New York City from the Democratic to the Greenback ticket.
97 Republicans 28 Democrats and 3 Green backers were declared elected to the New York State Assembly.