Front porch campaign

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In American political parlance, a front porch campaign is one in which the candidate remains at home and makes speeches to supporters who come to visit but does not travel around or otherwise actively campaign. The successful presidential campaigns of James A. Garfield in 1880 and William McKinley in 1896 are perhaps the two best-known front porch campaigns.

McKinley's opposing candidate, William Jennings Bryan, gave over 600 speeches and traveled many miles all over the United States to campaign, but McKinley outdid this by spending about twice as much money campaigning. While McKinley was at his Canton, Ohio, home conducting his "front-porch campaign", Mark Hanna was out raising millions to help with the campaign.

Another president that had been known for his front porch campaign was Warren G. Harding during the presidential election of 1920.