During his service within the territory, and later as territorial delegate, McCormick was a leader in Arizona Territory's "Federal Ring". This group was a coalition of territorial officials and leading citizens that worked in a non-partisan fashion to protect the lives and property of the territory's American population, establish law and order, and develop Arizona's economic potential. To achieve their goals, the clique crossed traditional political divides of the day, with Northern Republican governors appointing Southern Democrats and Hispanics to governmental positions. The "Federal Ring" dominated territorial politics between 1863 and 1877 and, while labeled a self-perpetuating oligarchy by critics, succeeded in providing a territorial government that was generally free of corruption and dishonesty.