1908 United States presidential election

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1908 United States presidential election

← 1904 November 3, 1908 1912 →

483 members of the Electoral College
242 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout65.4%[1] Increase 0.2 pp
  William Howard Taft, Bain bw photo portrait, 1908.jpg Unsuccessful 1908.jpg
Nominee William Howard Taft William Jennings Bryan
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Ohio Nebraska
Running mate James S. Sherman John W. Kern
Electoral vote 321 162
States carried 29 17
Popular vote 7,678,395 6,408,984
Percentage 51.6% 43.1%

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About this image
Presidential election results map. Red denotes those won by Taft/Sherman, blue denotes states won by Bryan/Kern. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

President before election

Theodore Roosevelt
Republican

Elected President

William Howard Taft
Republican

The 1908 United States presidential election was the 31st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1908. Secretary of War and Republican Party nominee William Howard Taft defeated three-time Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan.

Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt honored his promise not to seek a third term, and persuaded his close friend, Taft, to become his successor. With Roosevelt's support, Taft won the presidential nomination of the 1908 Republican National Convention on the first ballot. Having lost the 1904 election badly, the Democratic Party re-nominated Bryan, who had been defeated in 1896 and 1900 by Republican William McKinley. Despite his two previous defeats and the waning of the Free Silver issue, Bryan remained extremely popular among the more liberal and populist elements of the Democratic Party.

Bryan ran a vigorous campaign against the nation's business elite, but the Democrat suffered the worst loss of his three presidential campaigns in the popular vote, as well as his worst defeat in terms of the electoral vote percentage. Taft won 51.6% of the popular vote and carried most states outside of the Solid South. Taft's triumph gave Republicans their fourth straight presidential election victory. Two third-party candidates, Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party and Eugene W. Chafin of the Prohibition Party, each took over 1% of the popular vote.

Nominations[]

Republican Party nomination[]

Nominees[]

Republican Party (United States)
1908 Republican Party ticket
William Howard Taft James S. Sherman
for President for Vice President
William Howard Taft 1909b.jpg
James Schoolcraft Sherman.jpg
42nd
U.S. Secretary of War
(1904–1908)
U.S. Representative
for New York's 27th
(1903–1909)
1908RepublicanPoster.png

Candidates[]

Candidates in this section are sorted by delegates won
William H. Taft Philander C. Knox Charles E. Hughes Joseph G. Cannon Charles W. Fairbanks Robert M. La Follette Joseph B. Foraker Leslie M. Shaw
William Howard Taft cph.3b35813.jpg
Philander Knox, bw photo portrait, 1904.jpg
Charles Evans Hughes cph.3a02236.jpg
Joseph "Joe" G. Cannon, bust portrait, with cigar in his mouth LCCN2016651346.tiff
Charles W Fairbanks by Harris & Ewing (cropped 3x4).jpg
Robert M. La Follette Sr. cph.3b16031.jpg
Joseph Benson Foraker.jpg
Leslie Shaw, Bain photo portrait.jpg
42nd U.S. Secretary of War
from Ohio
(1904–1908)
44th U.S. Attorney General
from Pennsylvania
(1901–1904)
36th Governor
of New York
(1907–1910)
35th House Speaker
from Illinois
(1903–1911)
26th U.S. Vice President
from Indiana
(1905–1909)
U.S. Senator
from Wisconsin
(1906–1925)
U.S. Senator
from Ohio
(1897–1909)
43rd U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
from Iowa
(1902–1907)
Delegates: 549 [2][3][4][5][6] Delegates: 67 [2][6] Delegates: 54 [2][6] Delegates: 46 [2][6] Delegates: 32 [2][6] Delegates: 25 [2][6] Delegates: 5 [2][7][6] Delegates: 0 [2]
Campaign Campaign Campaign

The Republican nomination contest marked the introduction of the presidential preference primary. The idea of the primary to nominate candidates was sponsored by anti-machine politicians such as New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes and Senator Albert B. Cummins. The first state to hold a presidential primary to select delegates to a national convention was Florida in 1904, when Democratic Party voters held a primary among uninstructed candidates for delegate. Early in 1908, the only two Republican contenders running nationwide campaigns for the presidential nomination were Secretary of War William Howard Taft and Governor Joseph B. Foraker, both of Ohio. In the nomination contest, four states held primaries to select national convention delegates. In Ohio, the state Republican Party held a primary on February 11. Candidates pledged to Taft were printed on the ballot in a Taft column, and candidates pledged to Foraker were printed in a column under his name. Taft won a resounding victory in Ohio. The three states holding primaries to select delegates without the preference component were split: California chose a slate of delegates that supported Taft; Wisconsin elected a slate that supported Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and Pennsylvania elected a slate that supported its Senator Philander C. Knox.

The 1908 Republican Convention was held in Chicago between June 16 and 19. William Howard Taft was nominated with 702 votes to 68 for Knox, 67 for Hughes, 58 for Cannon, 40 for Fairbanks, 25 for La Follette, 16 for Foraker, 3 for President Roosevelt, and one abstention.[8]

Presidential Ballot
Candidate 1st Unanimous
William Howard Taft 702 980
Philander C. Knox 68 -
Charles Evans Hughes 67 -
Joseph Gurney Cannon 58 -
Charles W. Fairbanks 40 -
Robert M. La Follette 25 -
Joseph B. Foraker 16 -
Theodore Roosevelt 3 -
Not Voting 1 -

[9]

Representative James S. Sherman from New York received the vice-presidential nomination.

Vice-Presidential Ballot
Candidate 1st Unanimous
James S. Sherman 816 980
Franklin Murphy 77 -
Curtis Guild, Jr. 75 -
George L. Sheldon 10 -
Charles W. Fairbanks 1 -
Not Voting 1 -

[10]

Democratic Party nomination[]

Nominees[]

Democratic Party (United States)
1908 Democratic Party ticket
William Jennings Bryan John W. Kern
for President for Vice President
William Jennings Bryan, 1860-1925 (cropped).jpg
JohnWKern.jpg
Former U.S. Representative
for Nebraska's 1st
(1891–1895)
Former Indiana State Senator
(1893–1897)
Campaign
1908DemocraticPoster.png

Candidates[]

Candidates in this section are sorted by delegates won
William J. Bryan John A. Johnson George Gray Jesse R. Grant
BRYAN, WILLIAM JENNINGS LCCN2016856654 (cropped).jpg
Portrait of John Albert Johnson.jpg
George Gray Senator.jpg
Grant 3820614622 05901b339a o (cropped1).jpg
U.S. Representative
for Nebraska's 1st District
(1891–1895)
16th
Governor of Minnesota
(1905–1909)
Federal Appeals Judge
from Delaware
(1899–1914)
Engineer and Businessman
from California
Delegates: 549 [11] Delegates: 25 [11] Delegates: 6 [11] Delegates: 0 [11]
Campaign
Convention vote
President Vice President
William J. Bryan 888.5 / Unanimous John W. Kern Unanimous
George Gray 59.5
John A. Johnson 46
Not Voting 8

As the 1908 election approached, William Jennings Bryan was the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bryan's most formidable challenger for the nomination was Minnesota Governor John Albert Johnson. Johnson's rags-to-riches story, honesty, reformist credentials, and ability to win in a heavily Republican state made him popular within the Democratic Party. In March, the Minnesota Democratic State Convention endorsed Johnson for president. By the end of June, however, Bryan had amassed more than the requisite two-thirds of the delegates needed for nomination.

The 1908 Democratic National Convention was held in Denver between July 7 and 10. Johnson, aware of the fact that Bryan's nomination was a foregone conclusion, released his delegates, thereby allowing Bryan to win the nomination on the first ballot.[12]

Bryan left the choice of vice-president to the delegates. John W. Kern from Indiana was unanimously declared the candidate for vice-president without a formal ballot after the names of Charles A. Towne, , and Clark Howell were withdrawn from consideration. Kern was a former state senator (1893-1897) and two-time gubernatorial candidate (1900 and 1904).

In response to nomination of Bryan and Kern, The New York Times disparagingly pointed out that the Democratic national ticket was consistent because "a man twice defeated for the Presidency was at the head of it, and a man twice defeated for governor of his state was at the tail of it."[12]

Third parties and independents[]

People's Party nomination[]

Nominees[]
1908 People's Party ticket
Thomas E. Watson Samuel Williams
for President for Vice President
Tom E Watson.jpg
Samuel Williams.jpg
Former U.S. Representative
for Georgia's 10th District
(1891–1893)
Former State Representative
from Indiana
(1885–1887)
Campaign

In 1904 the national Populist Party ticket fared fairly well. Its total was twice the party's total in the previous presidential election, and in ten states, it received over 1% of the vote. It also offered 47 candidates for the House of Representatives, though the only ones elected were cross-endorsed by one of the major parties. The party remained in fusion with either the Democrats or the Republicans in many states.

The following three years were a trying time for the party. When Democrats began to call for the nomination of Bryan in 1908, western Populist leader Thomas Tibbles announced that the People's Party would probably not support him since he had gone into the hands of the Eastern business interests.[13] Two months later, Nebraska Democrats decided in their state convention to end fusion with the Populists, but they changed their mind after an all-night conference.[14] In the midterm elections the party only offered 10 candidates for House, and the Kansas People's Party officially disbanded in December when that state party's leader announced that he was joining the Republicans.[15]

By late 1907, many Populists were hoping that Thomas Watson would agree to run for president again. The previous three years had been unusual for Watson. He gave a speech to a gathering of farmers in Greensborough, Georgia and while preparing for supper, the house where he was staying was burned.[16] In mid-1906, Watson called on Georgia Populists to vote for Hoke Smith for governor in the Democratic primary, which fueled speculation that Watson was thinking of returning to the Democrats.[17] In early 1907, Watson started a network of Populist-leaning publications to keep the party's principles alive; Tibbles was chosen to serve as the chief editor.[18] One month later, someone fired shots into the Watsons' house in Augusta.[19] He had an altercation with an African-American porter on a train; when the porter said that he was unable to increase the train's speed, Watson hit the man in the face with the cap of his cane.[20]

The People's Party National Committee met on November 26, 1907, to make preparations for the 1908 national convention. National chairman James Ferriss indicated that Thomas Watson was the front runner for the nomination, saying that the party hoped to forge an alliance with one or more of the other minor parties, including possibly the Independence League or the Prohibitionists.[21] In early 1908, however, at least one member of the national committee believed that Senator Robert La Follette of Wisconsin would win the Populist nomination.[22]

On the first day of the convention, the delegation from Nebraska worked to adjourn the convention; they had already decided to support Bryan if he became the Democratic nominee. They managed to delay the official organization of the convention all day. One of their delegates, A.M. Walling of Nebraska, told the New York Times "we shall bolt if the convention attempts to nominate Thomas E. Watson, or any one else. We are not alone, for we have assurances that Minnesota, Georgia, and possibly Michigan and Kansas will walk out when we do".[23]

The convention was organized on the second day and completed all its relevant business. Watson supporters chose George A. Honnecker of New Jersey to serve as the permanent chairman, defeating the Bryan supporters' choice, Jacob Coxey. The platform called for inflation of the currency, public ownership of railroads, telephones, and telegraphs, labor legislation, and a ban on futures gambling. When the time for nominations began, a schism took place; Watson's name was placed in nomination, and the Nebraska delegation bolted. They were followed by T.J. Weighan, the sole delegate from Minnesota. Watson was then nominated for president; his running mate was Samuel Williams of Indiana.[24]

Socialist Party nomination[]

Nominees[]
1908 Socialist Party ticket
Eugene V. Debs Benjamin Hanford
for President for Vice President
EugeneVDebs.png
Hanford-Ben-portrait.jpg
Former State Senator
from Indiana
(1885–1889)
Printer and Labor Organizer
from New York
Campaign
Debs-Hanford-postcard-1908.jpg
Candidates[]
Candidates in this section are sorted by convention vote
Eugene V. Debs James F. Carey Carl D. Thompson Algie M. Simons Maximillian S. Hayes
EugeneVDebs.png
Thompson-carl-d.jpg
Simons-a-1902.jpg
Hayes-Mas-S.jpg
Former State Senator
from Indiana
(1885–1889)
Former State Representative
from Massachusetts
(1899–1903)
State Representative
from Wisconsin
(1906–1908)
Former Editor of the
International Socialist Review
from Illinois
(1900–1908)
Editor of the Cleveland Citizen
from Ohio
(1891–1940)
Delegates: 159 Delegates: 16
DTBN
Delegates: 14 Delegates: 9 Delegates: 0
DTBN
[25] [25] [25] [25] [25]

The radical members of the party supported giving the nomination to Bill Haywood. Debs' health was in question until Ben Hanford, a member of the New York delegation, read a letter from Debs stating that he was in good health and would give his support to whoever won the nomination. Seymour Stedman, an opponent of Debs, proposed Algie Martin Simons, who had the support of the right-wing in the party, for the nomination. Victor L. Berger proposed Carl D. Thompson for the nomination and it was seconded by Winfield R. Gaylord and Carolyn Lloyd Strobell. James F. Carey was nominated by Ida Crouch-Hazlett. Max S. Hayes nomination was seconded by Alfred Wagenknecht. Phillip H. Callery nominated Debs on May 14, 1908, and it was seconded by John Spargo and he won the nomination on the first ballot with 159 votes out of the 198 cast. A motion by Berger and Stedman to make the selection unanimous was approved. Carey's name was put up for the vice-presidential nomination by the Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Montana delegations, but he declined to run and Caleb Lipscomb also declined. Hanford won the vice-presidential selection with 106 votes on the first ballot and was later made unanimous. Debs' campaign was managed by J. Mahlon Barnes.[26][27][28][29][30] This was the first time that a candidate besides Debs had been nominated for the Socialist presidential nomination.[31]

Lincoln Steffens initially believed that Debs was not suitable for the presidency, but later told Brand Whitlock, the mayor of Toledo, Ohio, to vote for Debs after Steffens interviewed Debs and Berger. Haywood fundraised for the purchase of a train, which had over 200,000 contributors, that was later named the Red Special. Debs' train left on August 30, 1908, and traveled over 9,000 miles and gave 187 speeches over twenty-five days. Twenty-two million copies of Appeal to Reason were distributed during the campaign and the newspaper gained 50,000 subscribers.[26]

Theodore Roosevelt believed that the Socialists would take progressive votes away from Taft and stated that Debs' speeches were "mere pieces of the literature of criminal violence". Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor and who had endorsed Bryan, criticized Debs accusing him of receiving secret funding for his train from the Republicans. The Socialists published the names of every contributor to the train fund and the amount they donated and also challenged Gompers to a debate, but he refused. Former President Grover Cleveland and Chicago Tribune predicted that the Socialists would receive over one million votes.[26]

Debs hoped to receive over a million votes, but only received 420,852 votes which was a 20,000 vote increase from the 1904 election. Debs stated that the reason for the small increase was due to Democrats who had supported him in 1904 over Parker had voted for Bryan and that those who remained were pure socialist votes.[26]

Presidential ballot 1st ballot 2nd ballot Vice-presidential ballot 1st ballot 2nd ballot
Eugene V. Debs 159 Unanimous Ben Hanford 106 Unanimous
James F. Carey 16 Seymour Stedman 42
Carl D. Thompson 14 May Wood Simons 20
Algie Martin Simons 9 John W. Slayton 15
Caleb Lipscomb 1
George W. Woodbey 1
Reference [28] [28] [28] [28] [28]

Socialist Labor Party nomination[]

Nominees[]
1908 Socialist Labor Party ticket
August Gillhaus Donald L. Munro
for President for Vice President
Gilhaus-august-08.jpg
Munro-donald-l-08.jpg
Engineer
from New York
Machinist
from Virginia

The Socialist Labor Party met in New York, New York from July 2 to July 5 in Arlington Hall, St. Mark's Place. While increasingly dwarfed by the growing membership of the Socialist Party led by Eugene Debs and Bill Haywood, Daniel De Leon and his compatriots remained committed to maintaining their separate course, considering Debs and his platform as "reactionary".[32] An attempt was made to depose Leon from his position of editor of the Party's papers in favor of a more moderate candidate, fearing that Leon's writings were alienating voters who might otherwise be sympathetic to their cause. The report was overwhelmingly voted down after Leon spoke in defense of his conduct as the Party's editor, with a rival report being adopted praising his leadership.[33] When it came time for the nominations, Leon personally nominated Martin Preston of Nevada, who was currently serving a twenty-five year sentence for the murder of Anton Silva. While noting that Preston was only 32 at the time, Leon remarked that "it was for the working people to elect Preston, and if he was elected he would be seated". Preston's nomination was ratified unanimously, with Donald Munro of Virginia winning in a contest against Arthur S. Dower of Texas for the Vice Presidential nomination. The nominations were later formalized at Cooper Union following the close of the convention.[34]

Only days later however Martin Preston replied in a telegram that he could not accept the Presidential nomination, a declination that had not been expected nor prepared for.[35] August Gillhaus of New York was later then nominated in Preston's stead.

Prohibition Party nomination[]

Nominees[]
1908 Prohibition Party ticket
Eugene W. Chafin Aaron S. Watkins
for President for Vice President
Eugene Chafin photo.jpg
Aaron S. Watkins (LOC).jpg
Attorney at Law
from Illinois
Professor and Methodist Minister
from Ohio
Campaign
Eugene Chafin - Aaron S. Watkins 1908.jpg

The Prohibition Party met in Columbus, Ohio on July 14 and 15 to nominate their presidential ticket. Eugene Chafin was nominated on the third ballot in an open contest. When the runner-up for the Presidential nomination William Palmore, a Methodist Minister from Missouri and Editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate, declined his nomination for the Vice Presidency, the convention hurriedly allowed for a new set of nominations and another ballot. Aaron Watkins of Ohio would win a majority on the first ballot.

Convention vote
President (Note) Vice President[36]
Candidate 1st 2nd 3rd Unanimous Candidate Unanimous 1st Unanimous
Eugene W. Chafin 195 376 636 1,087 Aaron S. Watkins - ? 1,087
William A. Palmore 273 418 415 - William A. Palmore 1,087 - -
Alfred L. Manierre 159 121 4 - T. B. Demaree - ? -
Daniel R. Sheen 124 157 12 - Charles S. Holler - ? -
Will W. Tracy 105 81 7 - - - - -
Frederick F. Wheeler 72 73 - - - - - -
Oliver W. Stewart 61 47 - - - - - -
James B. Cranfill 28 - - - - - - -
George R. Stewart 7 - - - - - - -
Charles Scanlon 1 - - - - - - -

Independence Party nomination[]

Nominees[]
1908 Independence Party ticket
Thomas L. Hisgen John T. Graves
for President for Vice President
Thomas L. Hisgen.jpg
John Temple Graves.jpg
CEO of Hisgen Brothers
from Massachusetts
(1888–1927)
Newspaper Editor
from Georgia
Candidates[]
Candidates in this section are sorted by highest convention vote
Thomas L. Hisgen John Temple Graves Milford W. Howard Reuben R. Lyon William R. Hearst William J. Bryan
Thomas L. Hisgen.jpg
John Temple Graves.jpg
MilfordWHoward.jpg
William Randolph Hearst cph 3a49373.jpg
BRYAN, WILLIAM JENNINGS LCCN2016856654 (cropped).jpg
CEO of Hisgen Brothers
from Massachusetts
(1888–1927)
Newspaper Editor
from Georgia
Former U.S. Representative
for Alabama's 7th District
(1895–1899)
Attorney at Law
from New York
Former U.S. Representative
for New York's 11th District
(1903–1907)
Former U.S. Representative
for Nebraska's 1st District
(1891–1895)
Delegates: 831 Delegates: 213 Delegates: 200 Delegates: 71
NW: Before 2nd Ballot
Delegates: 49
DTBN
Delegates: 0
NR
[37] [37] [37] [37] [37] [37]

Disappointed with his performance in the 1904 Democratic presidential nomination campaign, and disillusioned as to his chances of successfully attaining it in 1908, William Randolph Hearst decided to run instead on the ticket of a third party of his own making. Originally borne from the Municipal Ownership League, a vehicle for Hearst's ultimately unsuccessful bid for the mayoralty of New York in 1905, it was Hearst's intention to fuse it with the remnants of the Populist Party led by Thomas Watson, a former Representative from Georgia who had been its presidential nominee in 1904. However, these intentions were dashed when every candidate that the Independence Party put forth in elections held in New York was elected except Hearst himself, despite an endorsement by the Democratic Party. Devastated, Hearst declared his intention never again to be a candidate.

While Hearst would no longer be the nominee, he fully intended to exercise influence at Independence Party's convention; the platform itself was in large part a statement of his own views. With its candidates nominated, the party's purpose was changed from being a path for Hearst's presidential ambitions to being an instrument of his wrath. Through the influence of his papers and generous financial donations, Hearst hoped that the Independence ticket would draw away votes from William Jennings Bryan and lead to his defeat against Taft, a personal vendetta for Bryan failing to support his own bid for the Presidency in 1904.

Presidential Ballot
1st 2nd 3rd
Thomas L. Hisgen 396 590 831
John T. Graves 213 189 7
Milford W. Howard 200 109 38
71 0 0
William R. Hearst 49 49 2

[38]

General election[]

Campaign[]

The aging and balding "Boy Orator of the Platte" delivers a speech.

With the Free Silver issue no longer dominant, Bryan campaigned on a progressive platform attacking "government by privilege." His campaign slogan, "Shall the People Rule?", was featured on numerous posters and campaign memorabilia. However, Taft undercut Bryan's liberal support by accepting some of his reformist ideas, and Roosevelt's progressive policies blurred the distinctions between the parties. Republicans also used the slogan "Vote for Taft now, you can vote for Bryan anytime," a sarcastic reference to Bryan's two failed previous presidential campaigns.

The Socialist candidate, Eugene Debs, embarked on an ambitious whistle-stop tour aboard a train nicknamed the Red Special, giving speeches regarding the Socialist cause across the country. The exertion of the tour exhausted Debs, and at certain points his brother Theodore - who bore a great resemblance to Eugene - substituted for him to allow the candidate to rest.[39]

Businessmen continued to support the Republican Party, and Bryan failed to secure the support of labor. As a result, Bryan ended up with the worst of his three defeats in the national popular vote. He lost almost all the northern states to Taft and the popular vote by 8 percentage points.

This would be Bryan's last campaign for the presidency, although he would remain a popular figure within the Democratic Party and in 1912 would play a key role in securing the presidential nomination for Woodrow Wilson. Charles W. Bryan, William's brother, would become the (losing) Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1924. Bryan's 162 electoral votes from this election, combined with his 155 and 176 electoral votes from 1900 and 1896 respectively, make him the person with the most electoral votes never to be president.

Results[]

Results by county explicitly indicating the percentage for the winning candidate. Shades of red are for Taft (Republican), shades of blue are for Bryan (Democratic), shades of green are for "Other(s)" (Non-Democratic/Non-Republican), grey indicates zero recorded votes, and white indicates territories not elevated to statehood.[40]
Roosevelt handing over his policies to his political protégé, William H. Taft.

Forty-six states participated, as Oklahoma had joined the Union less than a year before. Bryan won forty-eight counties in the new state of Oklahoma. The most important increase in number of counties carried by Bryan was in the West South Central section, in part due to the vote of newly admitted Oklahoma.[41]

Of the 2,858 counties making returns, Taft won in 1,494 (52.27%) while Bryan carried 1,355 (47.41%). Nine (0.31%) counties recorded more votes cast for "Other(s)" than either of the two-party candidates, whilst twenty-eight counties (0.97%) recorded zero votes due to being inhabited either by Native Americans who would not gain full citizenship for sixteen years, or by disenfranchised southern African-Americans. Taft had a majority in 1,325 counties while Bryan had a majority in 1,204 counties.

By carrying 1,355 counties, Bryan won more counties than he had in 1900 (1,340), but he did not reach or surpass the number of counties he had won in 1896 (1,559). While Bryan won more counties than McKinley in 1896, Bryan failed to carry more counties than the Republican candidate in 1900 or 1904. Compared with his strength in previous elections, however, Bryan carried 69 counties in 1908 which had not been Democratic in either 1896 or 1900.[42]

Bryan increased the area carried by Democrats in every part of the country except New England and the South. He doubled the number of Democratic counties in Wisconsin and won more counties in Indiana than were carried by plurality vote by the Democrats in any election in the Fourth Party System except 1912. He made decided gains in Missouri and in his home state of Nebraska,[41] besides achieving notable victories in Colorado and Nevada. However, in four Western states (Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, and North Dakota), there was not one Democratic county. This was true likewise of Michigan, Delaware, and each of the New England states.

The total vote increased greatly, by more than a million vis-à-vis 1904. Each party shared in the increase, but whereas Taft had nearly fifty thousand more than Theodore Roosevelt, Bryan had nearly 1,500,000 more votes than Alton Parker had garnered, and more than in either of his previous campaigns.

It was noticeable that the "other" vote was only about seven thousand less than four years earlier. The "other" vote was a plurality in nine counties in the states of Georgia and Texas.

The size of the vote cast for the defeated Bryan in 1908 is clear evidence of perhaps the most striking feature of the American presidential vote. In this third attempt at the presidency, and in an election following one in which the nominee of his party polled only five million votes, Bryan had heavy support in every section of the country, and in every state. Moreover, nearly two-thirds of the vote cast for Bryan was from the fifteen states of the (Northeastern) Mid-Atlantic, East North Central, and West North Central sections, in which the Democratic candidate carried only one state (Nebraska).

Despite all conclusions as to predominant sentiment in the different sections and its economic, social, and political causes, there was a national vote cast for Bryan, and it was urban as well as rural; it was eastern, western, southern, and northern. Everywhere the Democratic Party was the minority party, and it was not hopeless, nor was it helpless. It was the agency for the expression of the opposition of almost six and a half million voters.[42] According to Historian George E. Mowry:

What was especially significant in the election was the continued growth in the strength of the Democratic party and the success of the so-called progressive Republican candidates in the Midwest. The Republicans had not only lost seats in the House of Representatives but they had also lost governors in Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Dakota, all of which voted for Taft. In Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and even in Kansas self-announced progressive Republicans, who had previously defeated conservatives in the primaries, were more successful in beating their Democratic rivals. The election, The New York Times reported, had been punctuated with "independent voting." A closer analysis of the returns indicated that the voter in the Midwest had expressed his independence mostly from standpat Republicanism symbolized by the control of Speaker Cannon in the House and Aldrich in the Senate.[43]

As of 2021, this is the last of only two elections when Kansas and Nebraska have not voted for the same candidate.[a] The election of 1908 was the last election in which a Republican won the presidency without winning Nebraska, and the last in which Nebraska voted differently to Kansas and North Dakota.

United States Electoral College 1908.svg

Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote
Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
William Howard Taft Republican Ohio 7,678,335 51.57% 321 James Schoolcraft Sherman New York 321
William Jennings Bryan Democratic Nebraska 6,408,979 43.04% 162 John Worth Kern Indiana 162
Eugene Victor Debs Socialist Indiana 420,852 2.83% 0 Benjamin Hanford New York 0
Eugene Wilder Chafin Prohibition Illinois 254,087 1.71% 0 Aaron Sherman Watkins Ohio 0
Thomas Louis Hisgen Independence Massachusetts 82,574 0.55% 0 John Temple Graves Georgia 0
Thomas Edward Watson Populist Georgia 28,862 0.19% 0 Samuel Wardell Williams Indiana 0
August Gillhaus Socialist Labor New York 14,031 0.09% 0 Donald L. Munro Virginia 0
Other 1,519 0.01% Other
Total 14,889,239 100% 483 483
Needed to win 242 242

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1908 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved September 10, 2012.

Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005.

Popular vote
Taft
51.57%
Bryan
43.04%
Debs
2.83%
Chafin
1.71%
Others
0.85%
Electoral vote
Taft
66.46%
Bryan
33.54%

Geography of results[]

1908 Electoral Map.png

Cartographic gallery[]

Results by state[]

[44]

States/districts won by Bryan/Kern
States/districts won by Taft/Sherman
William Howard Taft
Republican
William Jennings Bryan
Democratic
Eugene V. Debs
Socialist
Eugene Chafin
Prohibition
Thomas Hisgen
Independence
Thomas Watson
Populist
August Gillhaus
Socialist Labor
Margin State Total
State electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % #
Alabama 11 25,561 24.31 - 74,391 70.75 11 1,450 1.38 - 690 0.66 - 497 0.47 - 1,576 1.50 - - - - -48,830 -46.44 105,152 AL
Arkansas 9 56,624 37.30 - 87,015 57.31 9 5,842 3.85 - 1,026 0.68 - 289 0.19 - 1,026 0.68 - - - - -30,391 -20.02 151,822 AR
California 10 214,398 55.46 10 127,492 32.98 - 28,659 7.41 - 11,770 3.04 - 4,278 1.11 - - - - - - - 86,906 22.48 386,597 CA
Colorado 5 123,693 46.88 - 126,644 48.00 5 7,960 3.02 - 5,559 2.11 - - - - - - - - - - -2,951 -1.12 263,858 CO
Connecticut 7 112,915 59.43 7 68,255 35.92 - 5,113 2.69 - 2,380 1.25 - 728 0.38 - - - - 608 0.32 - 44,660 23.50 190,003 CT
Delaware 3 25,014 52.10 3 22,055 45.94 - 239 0.50 - 670 1.40 - 29 0.06 - - - - - - - 2,959 6.16 48,007 DE
Florida 5 10,654 21.58 - 31,104 63.01 5 3,747 7.59 - 1,356 2.75 - 553 1.12 - 1,946 3.94 - - - - -20,450 -41.43 49,360 FL
Georgia 13 41,355 31.21 - 72,350 54.60 13 584 0.44 - 1,452 1.10 - 76 0.06 - 16,687 12.59 - - - - -30,995 -23.39 132,504 GA
Idaho 3 52,621 54.09 3 36,162 37.17 - 6,400 6.58 - 1,986 2.04 - 124 0.13 - - - - - - - 16,459 16.92 97,293 ID
Illinois 27 629,932 54.53 27 450,810 39.02 - 34,711 3.00 - 29,364 2.54 - 7,724 0.67 - 633 0.05 - 1,680 0.15 - 179,122 15.50 1,155,254 IL
Indiana 15 348,993 48.40 15 338,262 46.91 - 13,476 1.87 - 18,045 2.50 - 514 0.07 - 1,193 0.17 - 643 0.09 - 10,731 1.49 721,126 IN
Iowa 13 275,209 55.62 13 200,771 40.58 - 8,287 1.67 - 9,837 1.99 - 404 0.08 - 261 0.05 - - - - 74,438 15.05 494,769 IA
Kansas 10 197,216 52.46 10 161,209 42.88 - 12,420 3.30 - 5,033 1.34 - 68 0.02 - - - - - - - 36,007 9.58 375,946 KS
Kentucky 13 235,711 48.03 - 244,092 49.74 13 4,093 0.83 - 5,885 1.20 - 200 0.04 - 333 0.07 - 405 0.08 - -8,381 -1.71 490,719 KY
Louisiana 9 8,958 11.93 - 63,568 84.63 9 2,514 3.35 - - - - 77 0.10 - - - - - - - -54,610 -72.70 75,117 LA
Maine 6 66,987 63.00 6 35,403 33.29 - 1,758 1.65 - 1,487 1.40 - 700 0.66 - 1 0.00 - - - - 31,584 29.70 106,336 ME
Maryland 8 116,513 48.85 2 115,908 48.59 6 2,323 0.97 - 3,302 1.38 - 485 0.20 - - - - - - - 605 0.25 238,531 MD
Massachusetts 16 265,966 58.21 16 155,543 34.04 - 10,779 2.36 - 4,374 0.96 - 19,237 4.21 - - - - 1,011 0.22 - 110,423 24.17 456,919 MA
Michigan 14 335,580 61.93 14 175,771 32.44 - 11,586 2.14 - 16,974 3.13 - 760 0.14 - - - - 1,096 0.20 - 159,809 29.49 541,830 MI
Minnesota 11 195,843 59.11 11 109,401 33.02 - 14,527 4.38 - 11,107 3.35 - 426 0.13 - - - - - - - 86,442 26.09 331,304 MN
Mississippi 10 4,363 6.52 - 60,287 90.11 10 978 1.46 - - - - - - - 1,276 1.91 - - - - -55,924 -83.59 66,904 MS
Missouri 18 347,203 48.50 18 346,574 48.41 - 15,431 2.16 - 4,284 0.60 - 402 0.06 - 1,165 0.16 - 868 0.12 - 629 0.09 715,927 MO
Montana 3 32,333 46.98 3 29,326 42.61 - 5,855 8.51 - 827 1.20 - 481 0.70 - - - - - - - 3,007 4.37 68,822 MT
Nebraska 8 126,997 47.60 - 131,099 49.14 8 3,524 1.32 - 5,179 1.94 - - - - - - - - - - -4,102 -1.54 266,799 NE
Nevada 3 10,775 43.93 - 11,212 45.71 3 2,103 8.57 - - - - 436 1.78 - - - - - - - -437 -1.78 24,526 NV
New Hampshire 4 53,149 59.32 4 33,655 37.56 - 1,299 1.45 - 905 1.01 - 584 0.65 - - - - - - - 19,494 21.76 89,600 NH
New Jersey 12 265,298 56.80 12 182,522 39.07 - 10,249 2.19 - 4,930 1.06 - 2,916 0.62 - - - - 1,196 0.26 - 82,776 17.72 467,111 NJ
New York 39 870,070 53.11 39 667,468 40.74 - 38,451 2.35 - 22,667 1.38 - 35,817 2.19 - - - - 3,877 0.24 - 202,602 12.37 1,638,350 NY
North Carolina 12 114,887 45.49 - 136,928 54.22 12 372 0.15 - 354 0.14 - - - - - - - - - - -22,041 -8.73 252,554 NC
North Dakota 4 57,680 61.02 4 32,885 34.79 - 2,421 2.56 - 1,496 1.58 - 43 0.05 - - - - - - - 24,795 26.23 94,525 ND
Ohio 23 572,312 51.03 23 502,721 44.82 - 33,795 3.01 - 11,402 1.02 - 439 0.04 - 162 0.01 - 721 0.06 - 69,591 6.20 1,121,552 OH
Oklahoma 7 110,550 43.03 - 123,907 48.22 7 21,752 8.47 - - - - 274 0.11 - 412 0.17 - - - - -11,889 -4.66 256,917 OK
Oregon 4 62,530 56.39 4 38,049 34.31 - 7,339 6.62 - 2,682 2.42 - 289 0.26 - - - - 274 0.11 - 24,481 22.08 110,889 OR
Pennsylvania 34 745,779 58.84 34 448,782 35.41 - 33,914 2.68 - 36,694 2.90 - 1,057 0.08 - - - - 1,224 0.10 - 296,997 23.43 1,267,450 PA
Rhode Island 4 43,942 60.76 4 24,706 34.16 - 1,365 1.89 - 1,016 1.40 - 1,105 1.53 - - - - 183 0.25 - 19,236 26.60 72,317 RI
South Carolina 9 3,945 5.94 - 62,288 93.84 9 100 0.15 - - - - 46 0.07 - - - - - - - -58,343 -87.89 66,379 SC
South Dakota 4 67,536 58.84 4 40,266 35.08 - 2,846 2.48 - 4,039 3.52 - 88 0.08 - - - - - - - 27,270 23.76 114,775 SD
Tennessee 12 117,977 45.87 - 135,608 52.73 12 1,870 0.73 - 301 0.12 - 332 0.13 - 1,092 0.42 - - - - -17,631 -6.86 257,180 TN
Texas 18 65,666 22.35 - 217,302 73.97 18 7,870 2.68 - 1,634 0.56 - 115 0.04 - 994 0.34 - 176 0.06 - -151,636 -51.62 293,757 TX
Utah 3 61,028 56.19 3 42,601 39.22 - 4,895 4.51 - - - - 87 0.08 - - - - - - - 18,427 16.97 108,613 UT
Vermont 4 39,552 75.08 4 11,496 21.82 - - - - 799 1.52 - 804 1.53 - - - - - - - 28,056 53.26 52,680 VT
Virginia 12 52,572 38.36 - 82,946 60.52 12 255 0.19 - 1,111 0.81 - 51 0.04 - 105 0.08 - 25 0.02 - -30,374 -22.16 137,065 VA
Washington 5 106,062 57.68 5 58,691 31.92 - 14,177 7.71 - 4,700 2.56 - 249 0.14 - - - - - - - 47,371 25.76 183,879 WA
West Virginia 7 137,869 53.42 7 111,418 43.17 - 3,679 1.43 - 5,139 1.99 - - - - - - - - - - 26,451 10.25 258,105 WV
Wisconsin 13 247,747 54.52 13 166,662 36.67 - 28,147 6.19 - 11,565 2.54 - - - - - - - 318 0.07 - 81,085 17.84 454,441 WI
Wyoming 3 20,846 55.43 3 14,918 39.67 - 1,715 4.56 - 66 0.18 - 64 0.17 - - - - - - - 5,928 15.76 37,609 WY
TOTALS: 483 7,678,335 51.57 321 6,408,979 43.04 162 420,852 2.83 - 254,087 1.71 - 82,574 0.55 - 28,862 0.19 - 14,031 0.09 - 1,269,356 8.53 14,889,239 US

Close states[]

Margin of victory less than 1% (34 electoral votes):

  1. Missouri, 0.09% (629 votes)
  2. Maryland, 0.25% (605 votes)

Margin of victory less than 5% (46 electoral votes):

  1. Colorado, 1.12% (2,951 votes)
  2. Indiana, 1.49% (10,731 votes)
  3. Nebraska, 1.54% (4,102 votes)
  4. Kentucky, 1.71% (8,381 votes)
  5. Nevada, 1.78% (437 votes)
  6. Montana, 4.37% (3,007 votes)
  7. Oklahoma, 4.66% (11,889 votes)

Margin of victory between 5% and 10% (60 electoral votes):

  1. Delaware, 6.16% (2,959 votes)
  2. Tennessee, 6.86% (17,631 votes)
  3. Ohio, 6.20% (69,591 votes)
  4. North Carolina, 8.73% (22,041 votes)
  5. Kansas, 9.58% (36,007 votes)

Tipping point state:

  1. West Virginia, 10.25% (26,451 votes)

Statistics[]

Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Republican)

  1. Leslie County, Kentucky 92.96%
  2. Unicoi County, Tennessee 92.77%
  3. Sevier County, Tennessee 91.44%
  4. Keweenaw County, Michigan 90.56%
  5. Johnson County, Tennessee 90.21%

Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Democratic)

  1. Hampton County, South Carolina 100.00%
  2. King County, Texas 100.00%
  3. Garza County, Texas 100.00%
  4. Loving County, Texas 100.00%
  5. Wilcox County, Alabama 99.81%

Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Other)

  1. Terry County, Texas 100.00%
  2. Glascock County, Georgia 69.97%
  3. McDuffie County, Georgia 64.31%
  4. Lincoln County, Georgia 61.65%
  5. Oconee County, Georgia 56.21%

Campaign memorabilia[]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The other was in 1892 when Kansas voted for Populist James B. Weaver and Nebraska for Republican Benjamin Harrison

References[]

  1. ^ "Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections". The American Presidency Project. UC Santa Barbara.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "CHARGE FORGERY IN FLORIDA.; Representative Ames of Massachusetts Accused of Tricking Taftites". timesmachine.nytimes.com.
  4. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Bain, Richard C.; Parris, Judith H. Convention Decisions and Voting Records. p. 174. ISBN 0-8157-0768-1.
  9. ^ "Official report of the proceedings of the fourteenth Republican National Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois, June 16, 17, 18 and 19, 1908". Archive.org. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  10. ^ "Official report of the proceedings of the fourteenth Republican National Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois, June 16, 17, 18 and 19, 1908". Archive.org. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "HarpWeek | Elections | The Democratic Nomination". Elections.harpweek.com. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  14. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  16. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  17. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  18. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  19. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  21. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  22. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  23. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  24. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  25. ^ a b c d e "Proceedings of the National Convention of the Socialist Party". July 4, 1908 – via Internet Archive.
  26. ^ a b c d Morgan, H. Wayne (1962). Eugene V. Debs: Socialist for President. Syracuse University Press.
  27. ^ Haynes, Fred (1924). Social Politics in the United States. The Riverside Press Cambridge. p. 77.
  28. ^ a b c d e f Work, John M. (1908). Proceedings of the National Convention of the Socialist Party. Socialist Party of America.
  29. ^ Currie, Harold W. (1976). Eugene V. Debs. Twayne Publishers.
  30. ^ Karsner, David (1919). Debs - Authorized Life and Letters.
  31. ^ Coleman, McAlister (1930). Eugene V. Debs: A Man Unafraid. Greenberg Publisher.
  32. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  33. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  34. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  35. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  36. ^ "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  37. ^ a b c d e f "Newspaper clipping" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  38. ^ "HISGEN AND GRAVES NEW PARTY TICKET – The Independence Convention Makes Its Choice in Early Morning. BRYAN'S NAME WAS HISSED Small Riot Followed Attempts to Nominate Him and His Sponsor Was Threatened by Delegates. HISGEN AND GRAVES NEW PARTY TICKET" (PDF). The New York Times. July 29, 1908. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  39. ^ Morgan, H. Wayne (1958). ""Red Special": Eugene V. Debs and the Campaign of 1908". Indiana Magazine of History. 54 (3): 211–236. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  40. ^ The Presidential Vote, 1896–1932 – Google Books. Stanford University Press. 1934. ISBN 9780804716963. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  41. ^ a b The Presidential Vote, 1896–1932, Edgar E. Robinson, pg. 13
  42. ^ a b The Presidential Vote, 1896–1932, Edgar E. Robinson, pg. 14
  43. ^ George E. Mowry, The Era of Theodore Roosevelt, 1900-1912 (1958) p 231 online; citing The New York Times, November 7, 1908.
  44. ^ "1908 Presidential General Election Data – National". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
William J Bryan in 1906 as Moses with new 10 commandments; Puck 19 sept 1906 by Joseph Keppler. Tablet reads: l-Thou shalt have no other leaders before me. II—Thou shalt not make unto thyself any high Protective Tariff. Ill—Eight hours, and no more, shalt thou labor and do all thy work. IV—Thou shalt not graft. V—Thou shalt not elect thy Senators save by Popular Vote. VI—Thou shalt not grant rebates unto thy neighbor. VII—Thou shalt not make combinations in restraint of trade. VIII—Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's income, but shall make him pay a tax upon it. IX—There shall be no more government by injunction. X—Remember Election Day to vote it early. P.S.— When in doubt, ask Me.[1]

Further reading[]

  • Coletta, Paolo E. The Presidency of William Howard Taft (1973) pp. 1–21.
  • Coletta, Paolo E. "The Election of 1908" in Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. and Fred L Israel, eds., History of American Presidential Elections: 1789-1968 (1971) 3: 2049–2131. online
  • Coletta, Paolo E. William Jennings Bryan. I: Political Evangelist, 1860-1908 (U of Nebraska Press, 1964)
  • Daniels, Josephus (July–December 1908). "Mr. Bryan's Third Campaign". Review of Reviews. Review of Reviews. 38: 423–31.
  • Fahey, James J. "Building Populist Discourse: An Analysis of Populist Communication in American Presidential Elections, 1896–2016." Social Science Quarterly 102.4 (2021): 1268-1288. online
  • Glad, Paul W. The trumpet soundeth; William Jennings Bryan and his democracy, 1896–1912 (1960) online
  • Korzi, Michael J., "William Howard Taft, the 1908 Election, and the Future of the American Presidency," Congress and the Presidency, 43 (May–August 2016), 227–54.
  • Mowry, George E. The Era of Theodore Roosevelt, 1900-1912 (1958). online
  • Sarasohn, David. The Party of Reform: Democrats in the Progressive Era (UP of Mississippi, 1989), 35–58.

Primary sources[]

  • Chester, Edward W A guide to political platforms (1977) online
  • Porter, Kirk H. and Donald Bruce Johnson, eds. National party platforms, 1840-1964 (1965) online 1840-1956

External links[]

  1. ^ source Joseph Keppler in Puck (magazine) Sept 19, 1906; reprinted in: Smylie, James H. "William Jennings Bryan and the Cartoonists: A Pictorial Lampoon, 1896—1925." Journal of Presbyterian History 53.2 (1975): 83-92 at p 88 online.
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