The Candidates
Democratic Party: Woodrow Wilson
Wilson almost lost the nomination in arguably the most memorable presidential nomination convention in history. Speaker of the House Champ Clark appeared to be the frontrunner, but did not receive the required two thirds of the vote to be nominated. However, three time candidate William Jennings Bryan turned against Champ Clark in the final moments and threw all support towards Wilson. Wilson, accepting a sure defeat, received a pleasant surprise when he finally finished ahead of Clark on the nomination ballot, receiving the required two thirds votes. Had it not been for Bryan, Champ Clark would have been the Democratic Candidate in 1912. Progressive Party: Theodore Roosevelt When the Republican Party split into two, creating the Republican Progressives and the Republicans, Theodore Roosevelt was to blame. Roosevelt disagreed with Taft's policies during his presidency, despite Taft being chosen personally by Roosevelt to continue the policies such as the Big Stick Diplomacy. Roosevelt ended up leaving the main Republican Party convention and bringing his supporters with him. This ultimately led to a separate convention for progressives, and Theodore Roosevelt was chosen as candidate. Republican Party: William Howard Taft William Howard Taft ran for reelection after one term as president. Taft had the support of many of the party organizations in the southern states, allowing him to win the nomination easily. After Theodore Roosevelt stormed out of the convention, there were no other clear candidates to choose from, and Taft was given the opportunity to run yet again. Socialist Party: Eugene Debs Eugene Debs was a part of the factionalized coalitions and ethnic communities, receiving the support from there. This included mainly German and Finnish immigrants. It also received support from the long lost Populist Party in the western mining states. Being the only third party candidate, Debs was the only nominee for the Socialists. |
The Results
Woodrow Wilson
Popular Vote: 6,296,284
Electoral Vote: 435
Theodore Roosevelt
Popular Vote: 4,122,721
Electoral Vote: 88
William Howard Taft
Popular Vote: 3,486,242
Electoral Vote: 8
Eugene Debs
Popular Vote: 901,551
Electoral Vote: 0
Popular Vote: 6,296,284
Electoral Vote: 435
Theodore Roosevelt
Popular Vote: 4,122,721
Electoral Vote: 88
William Howard Taft
Popular Vote: 3,486,242
Electoral Vote: 8
Eugene Debs
Popular Vote: 901,551
Electoral Vote: 0