VOA慢速英语:American History Series: The Election of 1868

1.The Democratic Party had a much more difficult time choosing a candidate for president in eighteen sixty-eight.

had a much more difficult time choosing做某事有困难，相当于have difficulty doing sth的用法

2.Neither Grant nor Seymour campaigned very hard.

neither nor既不...也不...

例句：He is neither an electrician nor a repairman.
      他既不是电工也不是修理工。

      I have neither friends nor books to divert me.
      我没有朋友或书本可作消遣。