In 1824, Andrew Jackson lost the presidential election and immediately claimed the election was stolen from him.  Plenty of people believed him.  Political parties bribed voters with free booze (easier to obtain than cash), and when that didn’t work, voter intimidation usually ensured the outcome.

 By 1828, the election rules had changed to allow white males who owned little or no property to vote.  These working-class white voters were the core group supporting Jackson. They loved his rants against the wealthy, big banks, and immigrants.  Jackson was elected as the first populist president.