In early October, 1898, New York's Republican Party was in trouble, and its gubernatorial candidate, Theodore Roosevelt, was facing defeat. He had avoided paying New York taxes by claiming non resident status, reformers were accusing him of reneging on his promise to run as an independent candidate, and he had antagonized many veterans by suggesting that his Rough Riders were better soldiers than New York volunteers. In a dramatic series of 'whistle stop' tours, in which he displayed for the first time an extraordinary power to stir audiences that has rarely been seen in American politics, he came from behind to win a narrow victory by less than 18, 000 votes out of 1.3 million cast.