 Stetson was involved in the long running dispute between the Barnburners and Hunkers of New York's Democratic Party and in 1855 was the unsuccessful "Soft Hunker" nominee for New York State Comptroller.He was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, where he supported Stephen A. Douglas for president.Stetson returned to the State Assembly in and 1862, during the American Civil War.