In 1886, George made his first foray into politics. Convinced that the best way to implement his ideas was by running for office, he allowed himself to be drafted as a candidate for mayor of New York City. He ran against the Tammany Hall (Democratic) candidate, Abram Hewitt, and against the Republican candidate, Theodore Roosevelt. He placed second to Hewitt in the election results, but many believed that, because of election fraud and corruption, he was denied the mayor's job that in reality he had won.
More travel and books followed this political loss. By 1897, New York City had moved from a two-year to four-year mayor's term in office, and George was asked to run again for mayor. George's health was starting to deteriorate at this time, and he had to choose between finishing his latest book, The Science of Political Economy, or entering a rigorous campaign against his doctor's wishes. He chose to run, but the vigors of the campaign overcame him, and he died several days before the election, his victory assured had he lived.
George had many followers who believed in his theories, and they tried to implement them around the country. The most extensive campaign came in 1896, in the state of Delaware. The "Single Taxers," as his followers came to be called, chose Delaware because of its small size and its close proximity to Philadelphia and New York, where the largest Georgist movements flourished. The "Single Taxers" campaigned to take over the governorship and the state legislature. They were organized by Louis Freeland Post, Thomas Shearman, and Lawson Purdy. They wanted to demonstrate the single tax theory in one state first, before going national. But the results of that election were dismal. They lost, obtaining only 3% of the vote. Georgism on a state level had failed.