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Republican Ticket
Presidential candidate: WILLIAM H. TAFT, Secretary of War
VP candidate: JAMES S. SHERMAN, New York Congressman
Popular votes: 7,676,598 (51.6%)
Electoral votes: 321
Democratic Ticket
Presidential candidate: William Jennings Bryan, former Nebraska Congressman
VP candidate: John W. Kern, Indianan
Popular votes: 6,406,874 (43.0%)
Electoral votes: 162
1908 US Electoral Map: How each state voted. Wisconsin's Choice: Taft.

Election Facts

  • Theodore Roosevelt tapped Taft as his successor and promoted his nomination.
  • Taft positioned his campaign on Roosevelt's progressive policies and record of success.
  • Having failed with a conservative candidate four years earlier, Democrats called the liberal Bryan back, but the progressive Republican platform diluted Bryan's message.
William H. Taft, 1908.
WHI 22950