That situation changed in early September when a Democratic-Fusion candidate won the Maine gubernatorial election. Senator James Blaine of Maine convinced Garfield to have the Republican party put aside the "bloody shirt" and focus on the tariff issue. A month later, Hancock played into their hands by giving an interview to the Paterson, New Jersey, Daily Guardian (published October 8), in which he called the tariff question a local issue. Overjoyed Republicans now had what seemed like a glaring example of the Democratic presidential nominee's political ignorance and naïveté, and on just the issue that the Republicans wanted to emphasize.

In reality, Hancock was trying to avoid discussion of tariff policy by saying that the electorate should decide the contentious issue by voting for congressional candidates who supported their position. It was a stance taken by other politicians, including, as Democratic leaders eagerly pointed out, Congressman Garfield. The Republicans, however, were able to exploit Hancock's gaffe effectively, making him an object of ridicule, as in this Harper's Weekly cover by Thomas Nast published (November 3) at the end of the campaign.