Why did whites in the south feel as if they had won the election of 1876 even though the new president was a republican

During the Presidential Election of 1876, there was the agreement of the Compromise of 1877. This compromise was settled between Democratic candidate Samuel Tilden and Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes.

The Compromise said that Democrats agreed that Hayes would become president but in return, the federal troops would be removed from the Southern states, this ended the Reconstruction Era and the South regained it's autonomy.

1877 compromise In the compromise, Hayes received the electoral votes in the states where the results were disputed. This gave Hayes the presidency. In return, the federal troops that were enforcing Reconstruction were removed from the South.