On the opinions pages, Pulitzer concentrated on issues that interested the marginalized groups of immigrants, women and workingmen. Both of his newspapers, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the World, strongly supported the Democratic party. The editorial pages often carried censorious tales of graft and corruption committed by Republican office holders. Pulitzer even turned the presidential election of 1884 on its ear by exploiting a mistake made by the Republican candidate, James G. Blaine. Polls still favored the Republican stalwart at the end of October.

Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate, was struggling with scandal surrounding his illegitimate child. Republican supporters penned a popular refrain to describe their opponent: "Ma! Ma! Where's my pa? Gone to the White House, Ha! Ha! Ha!" ²⁰  Pulitzer accepted the fact that Cleveland had fathered a child out of wedlock before his marriage, but he considered Blaine's transgressions a greater threat to the presidency.

As a congressman during the '70s, Blaine had received thousands of dollars from a railroad company over which he had regulatory supervision. By securing the incriminating documents from his secretary and through some amount of luck, Blaine avoided being prosecuted for his graft. However, during the 1884 election, the secretary disclosed some letters which Blaine had neglected to obtain. One message with the words, "Burn this letter," cemented in Democrats' minds the chant, "Blaine, Blaine, the liar from Maine." ²¹ 

This election turned into one of the most sensational in U.S. history, with voters undecided between two men with very obvious flaws. One could not brush the bribing hand of industry away from his pocket; the other could not keep his own hands under control. Pulitzer saw the issue as clear-cut. Cleveland had erred in private life, while Blaine had betrayed the public trust. However, no Democratic paper was able to convince the public until Pulitzer published a front-page account of a little-noticed Republican fundraiser in New York.

The event was not out of the ordinary for an election year. Blaine met with financiers including William H. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould and Andrew Carnegie at the upscale Delmonico's restaurant to secure their support. However, the World described the affair as "THE ROYAL FEAST OF BALSHAZZAR BLAINE AND THE MONEY KINGS" in a seven-column headline. ²²  The coverage, as well as a half-page cartoon depicting the candidate eating "lobby pudding" and "monopoly soup," focused the public on Blaine's shady financial deals. No other newspaper, whether Democratic or Republican, had published a detailed account of the fundraiser the day after it happened. But they all covered the event after the World's story made its splash. (See appendix for October 30 front page.)

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