After leaving the House of Representatives, English remained in touch with local politics, and served as chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party. His son had been elected to the state house in 1879, and the elder English was still consulted on political matters. Although he had not sought elected office since 1858, he had raised his national profile in 1879 through several interviews and letters to friendly newspapers. English attended the 1880 Democratic National Convention in Cincinnati as a member of the Indiana delegation, where he favored presidential candidate Thomas F. Bayard of Delaware, whom he admired for his support of the gold standard. The first ballot was inconclusive, with Bayard in second place. Major General Winfield Scott Hancock of Pennsylvania led the voting, and on the second ballot was nominated for President.