Answer:
Republican William McKinley's victory in the dramatic 1896 elections (twenty-eighth US presidential election) marked the change in the US political landscape.
During the campaign McKinley made alliances with businessmen, self-employed professionals, skilled workers, and prosperous farmers. These coalitions made it clear that the choice of the new president was linked to the reaffirmation of economic power. McKinley is still today considered the first president "bought" by big businessmen.