nov 11, 1912 - The Election of 1912; New Nationalism, New Freedom

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The Election of 1912 was extremely significant since the Progressives officially created their own party and backed Theodore Roosevelt as their nominee – while traditional/conservative Republicans nominated the unpopular President Taft. Meanwhile, Eugene V. Debs and the Socialist Party were at the height of the political influence, and the Democrats nominated the relatively unknown New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt campaigned on a platform of “New Nationalism” which included women’s suffrage, increased government regulations on corporations, and more social welfare programs, while Wilson’s platform was called “New Freedom” and he promised to end corruption, aid small businesses so as to increase competition, and combat both big business and big government. In the end, Wilson won in an electoral landslide because the Republican Party was split. It should be noted that Roosevelt and Taft’s combined popular votes far surpassed Wilson’s. Also, Roosevelt became the third-party candidate to win the most electoral votes (88) in U.S. history, and he still holds that title.

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