U.S. presidential election, 1912

The U.S. presidential election of 1912 was fought among three major candidates, two of whom had served as President of the United States. Incumbent President William Howard Taft was nominated by the Republican party with the support of the establishment wing of the party, despite the fact that former President Theodore Roosevelt had won all but one of the Republican primaries; at the convention, the Republicans' progressive wing split off as the Bull Moose Party and nominated Roosevelt. Democrat Woodrow Wilson, nominated by his own Party on the 46th ballot of a contentious convention, defeated both in the general election, winning a vast majority in the Electoral College with only 42% of the popular vote, and initiating the only period between 1897 and 1933 when a Democrat would be elected President.

Contents

1 Nominations 1.1 Republican Party nomination 1.2 Progressive Party nomination 1.3 Democratic Party nomination 2 General election 2.1 Campaign 2.2 Results 2.3 State by state results 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Book 5.2 External link

Nominations

Republican Party nomination

The Republican Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois 8 June to 22 June. Even though Roosevelt had won all but one of the primaries, Republicans renominated William Howard Taft and James S. Sherman, incidentally making Sherman the first vice president since Richard M. Johnson to be nominated for reelection.

On the evening of June 22, 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt asked his supporters to leave the floor of the Republican National Convention in Chicago. Roosevelt maintained that President Taft had allowed fraudulent seating of delegates in order to capture the presidential nomination from progressive forces within the Party. Taft's poor showing against Roosevelt in the primaries, the latter contended, evidenced popular support for a more progressive Republican agenda.

The rift between progressive and conservative wings of the Republican Party had been apparent even before Roosevelt left office in 1908. Roosevelt's support of government regulation, his groundbreaking efforts in conservation and consumer protection, and his willingness to work with organized labor alienated pro-business party members. When Roosevelt tapped William Howard Taft as his successor, he had assumed Taft would continue to support this agenda. Taft's record suggested a leader sympathetic to reform, but the former jurist's attention to the letter of the law irritated Roosevelt and disappointed Republican progressives.

Progressive Party nomination

Republican progressives reconvened in Chicago's Orchestra Hall and endorsed the formation of a national progressive party. When formally launched later that summer, the new Progressive Party chose Roosevelt as its presidential nominee. Questioned by reporters, Roosevelt said he felt as strong as a "bull moose." Thenceforth known as the "Bull Moose Party," the Progressives promised to increase federal regulation and protect the welfare of ordinary people.

Democratic Party nomination

The Democratic Convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland from 25 June to 2 July. After a long deadlock, former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan threw his support to Woodrow Wilson in order to defeat Missouri Representative Champ Clark. Wilson received the nomination on the 46th ballot.

General election

Campaign

The 1912 presidential campaign was bitterly contested. Vice President James S. Sherman died in office on October 30, 1912, less than a week before the election, leaving Taft without a running mate. With the Republican Party divided, Wilson captured the presidency handily on November 5.

Theodore Roosevelt's strong third-party candidacy resulted in the only instance in the 20th century of a third party candidate receiving more votes than one of the major party candidates: although he failed to become chief executive again, Roosevelt succeeded in his vendetta against Taft, who received just twenty-three percent of the popular vote compared to Roosevelt's twenty-seven percent.

Nicholas Butler was selected to receive the electoral votes from Utah and Vermont that would have gone to Sherman.

Source: Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun22.html)

Results

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State by state results

		Woodrow Wilson			Theodore Roosevelt			William Taft			Eugene V. Debs
electoral votes	State	count	%	electoral votes	count	%	electoral votes	count	%	electoral votes	count	%	electoral votes
12	Alabama	82,438	69.9	12	22,680	19.2		9,807	8.3		3,029	2.6
3	Arizona	10,324	44.1	3	6,949	29.7		2,986	12.7		3,163	13.5
9	Arkansas	68,814	55.4	9	21,644	17.4		25,585	20.6		8,153	6.6
13	California	283,436	43.6	*2	283,610	43.6	*11	3,847	0.6		79,201	12.2
6	Colorado	113,912	43.7	6	71,752	27.6		58,386	22.4		16,366	6.3
7	Connecticut	74,561	39.9	7	34,129	18.2		68,324	36.5		10,056	5.4
3	Delaware	22,631	47.1	3	8,886	18.5		15,997	33.3		556	1.2
6	Florida	35,343	72.2	6	4,555	9.3		4,279	8.7		4,806	9.8
14	Georgia	93,087	76.7	14	21,985	18.1		5,191	4.3		1,058	0.9
4	Idaho	33,921	32.5	4	25,527	24.5		32,810	31.5		11,960	11.5
29	Illinois	405,048	36.0	29	386,478	34.3		253,593	22.5		81,278	7.2
15	Indiana	281,890	44.6	15	162,007	25.6		151,267	23.9		36,931	5.8
13	Iowa	185,322	38.3	13	161,819	33.4		119,805	24.8		16,967	3.5
10	Kansas	143,663	39.3	10	120,210	32.9		74,845	20.5		26,779	7.3
13	Kentucky	219,484	48.9	13	101,766	22.7		115,510	25.8		11,646	2.6
10	Louisiana	60,871	76.8	10	9,283	11.7		3,833	4.8		5,261	6.6
6	Maine	51,113	39.7	6	48,495	37.7		26,545	20.6		2,541	2.0
8	Maryland	112,674	49.1	8	57,789	25.2		54,956	24.0		3,996	1.7
18	Massachusetts	173,408	35.8	18	142,228	29.4		155,948	32.2		12,616	2.6
15	Michigan	150,201	27.9		213,243	39.6	15	151,434	28.2		23,060	4.3
12	Minnesota	106,426	32.8		125,856	38.8	12	64,334	19.8		27,505	8.5
10	Mississippi	57,324	88.9	10	3,549	5.5		1,560	2.4		2,050	3.2
18	Missouri	330,746	47.8	18	124,375	18.0		207,821	30.1		28,466	4.1
4	Montana	28,129	35.1	4	22,709	28.3		18,575	23.2		10,811	13.5
8	Nebraska	109,008	44.3	8	72,681	29.5		54,226	22.0		10,185	4.1
3	Nevada	7,986	39.7	3	5,620	27.9		3,196	15.9		3,313	16.5
4	New Hampshire	34,724	39.7	4	17,794	20.4		32,927	37.7		1,981	2.3
14	New Jersey	178,638	41.6	14	145,679	33.9		89,066	20.7		15,948	3.7
3	New Mexico	20,437	41.9	3	8,347	17.1		17,164	35.2		2,859	5.9
45	New York	655,573	41.9	45	390,093	24.9		455,487	29.1		63,434	4.1
12	North Carolina	144,407	59.3	12	69,135	28.4		29,129	12.0		987	0.4
5	North Dakota	29,549	34.7	5	25,726	30.2		22,990	27.0		6,966	8.2
24	Ohio	424,834	41.5	24	229,807	22.5		278,168	27.2		90,164	8.8
10	Oklahoma	119,143	47.4	10	not on ballot			90,726	36.1		41,630	16.6
5	Oregon	47,064	35.5	5	37,600	28.3		34,673	26.1		13,343	10.1
38	Pennsylvania	395,637	33.0		444,894	37.2	38	273,360	22.8		83,614	7.0
5	Rhode Island	30,412	39.5	5	16,878	21.9		27,703	36.0		2,049	2.7
9	South Carolina	48,355	96.0	9	1,293	2.6		536	1.1		164	0.3
5	South Dakota	48,942	43.5		58,811	52.3	5	not on ballot			4,664	4.1
12	Tennessee	133,021	53.0	12	54,041	21.5		60,475	24.1		3,564	1.4
20	Texas	218,921	73.3	20	26,715	8.9		28,310	9.5		24,884	8.3
4	Utah	36,576	32.7		24,174	21.6		42,013	37.6	4	8,999	8.1
4	Vermont	15,350	24.9		22,129	35.9		23,303	37.8	4	928	1.5
12	Virginia	90,332	66.3	12	21,776	16.0		23,288	17.1		820	0.6
7	Washington	86,840	27.9		113,698	36.5	7	70,445	22.6		40,134	12.9
8	West Virginia	113,097	42.8	8	79,112	29.9		56,754	21.5		15,248	5.8
13	Wisconsin	164,230	42.0	13	62,448	16.0		130,596	33.4		33,476	8.6
3	Wyoming	15,310	36.6	3	9,232	22.1		14,560	34.8		2,760	6.6
		count	%	electoral votes	count	%	electoral votes	count	%	electoral votes	count	%	electoral votes
531	Totals:	6,293,152	42.5	435	4,119,207	27.8	88	3,486,333	23.6	8	900,369	6.1	0
percentages in this table do not take into account other candidates

Legacy

Despite an impressive showing in 1912, the Bull Moose Party failed to establish itself as a viable third party, especially after Roosevelt's death in 1919. Still active on the state level, Progressives did not field another Presidential candidate until the run of Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. in the election of 1924.

See also

• President of the United States
• History of the United States (1865-1918)

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References

Book

• James Chace, 1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs--The Election That Changed the Country, Simon and Schuster, May, 2004, hardcover, 448 pages, ISBN 0743203941

External link

• 1912 State-by-state Popular vote (http://www.multied.com/elections/1912State.html)