AP US History

Answer - A - Republican leaders who left the party in 1884 to support the Democrats were called Mugwumps.

Key Takeaway: In the 1880s, some Republicans broke with their party out of disgust with the spoils system. The spoils system assigned civil service jobs to people who had been loyal to the Republican Party. Although the spoils system as around as far back as the Jackson administration, its sheer abuse during the Gilded Age led many Republicans to support the Democratic candidate instead.