The Presidential Election 1908

Despite his unwavering popularity, Roosevelt decided not to run for a third term in office. William H. Taft was nominated as the Republican candidate, with James R. Sherman as his running mate. The Democratic candidate, for the third time, was William J. Bryan. He began campaigning hard, delivering speeches and announcing reforms including the regulation of the railroads. Taft was slow to start campaigning but, with the encouragement and backing of Roosevelt, considerably raised his profile in the weeks running up to the election. The promise of a continuation of Roosevelt’s popular policies and a waning of Bryan’s enthusiasm after two previous elections won Taft the election; the popular vote was closer but in the Electoral College he won a decisive 321 votes to Bryan’s 162.