1792 BY-ELECTIONS
FINAL RESULTS:
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY:
Federalist: 20
Whig: 14
Republican: 13
Patriot: 10
Farmers: 6
Centre: 3
Tory: 2
Pennsylvanian: 2
Government Majority: -4 (33 out of 70 seats)
SENATE:
Federalist: 12
Whig: 7
Republican: 7
Patriot: 5
Farmers: 3
Government Majority: Tie (17 out of 34 seats)
GOVERNORS:
Federalist: 5
Whig: 5
Republican: 3
Farmers: 3
Patriot: 1
OVERVIEW:
With no less than ten seats available and a decisive test ahead of the new party system, Pennsylvania and Westsylvania had their campaigns gravitate over the new alliances created by the formation of new parties, particularly in light of what became the issue of the campaign: the Whig-Radical alliance. Conceived perhaps as an apparent tactical masterstroke, Mr. Bache wasted no time in touring Pennsylvania alongside his candidates to make his own points about the merits of having suddenly entered government and intending to draw the line by rallying the new Radical Whigs as standing up against Federalist tyranny. While such a strategy had its merits and Bache fought tirelessly, it was broadly believed that jumping into the Madison government - and sharing a coalition with Wilkinson - mere weeks after the end of martial law was just too big a leap for many Pennsylvanians to justify or accept.
Indeed, a substantial part of the state turned against the Radicals as some state legislators confirmed their defections into sitting as independents, and the divisions inside the now pro-Government forces (which on paper should have been a large majority based on Radical voters) became even stronger with the fielding of a full Republican slate and of two Farmers candidates as well, a total of 15 pro-coalition candidates against a mere 6 of the opposition. The Federalists managed to benefit from not being strongly identified with either side of the debate, and due to sheer voting division and chaos managed to get their slate elected with only a dozen votes pushing their final candidate. With the division within the government neither the Farmers nor the Republicans prospered, and while Mr. Bache won reelection handidly only one of his fellow candidates managed to be elected with him.
Perhaps the biggest irony of the entire by-election was that Frederick Muhlenberg, having achieved a terrible result at the Governor election months ago, experienced a sudden turn of fortune. Having abandoned the Government to set up a party which purported to defend keeping the capital in Philadelphia, Muhlenberg found himself in the unbelievable position of looking as the more pro-Pennsylvania candidate opposed on the ongoing debate over the Whigs. The subsequent swing of anti-government and German Pennsylvanian voters set him and his brother into the National Assembly. Westsylvania was filled with surprises as well, as the Farmers suddenly found themselves in the awkward position of sharing the government with the former Radicals - who, needless to say, were not beloved in the recently separated areas -. The effective campaign of Wilkinson and his party saw them win the Governorship and the northern area of Westsylvania, only to be dealt a surprise and narrow defeat in the south of the state (the former Virginian territory) against the Patriots.
With a state legislature featuring a Farmers strong plurality but with a significant Patriot and Federalist group (and a minor number of Whigs) Wilkinson's followers easily sent a new Senator to Baltimore, but had to settle for a Patriot Senator going with him as well. The tie in the Senate was kept, but the loss of Farmer/Whig seats in against Federalist, Pennsylvanian and Patriot gains signaled the end of the government majority: as mid 1792 approached, the coalition was now four seats short of a majority.
