The U.S. presidential election of 1908 was not a close race. Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt, honoring a promise not to seek a third term, annointed William Howard Taft as his successor. The Democrats nominated a candidate, William Jennings Bryan, who had been defeated in two previous outings against Republican William McKinley. Taft defeated Bryan in a landslide.
Major party conventions
The 1908 Republican Convention was held in Chicago from 16 June to 19 June. Prominent Republican candidates included House Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois, Charles Evans Hughes of New York, and Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin, but William Howard Taft, the Secretary of War, prevailed with the backing of outgoing President Theodore Roosevelt.
The 1908 Democratic Convention was held in Denver from 7 July to 10 July. Despite a challenge by Minnesota governor John Albert Johnson, two time previous nominee William Jennings Bryan quickly won the overwhelming support of his party.
The election was held on November 3, 1908.
Election results
| Presidential Candidate | Party | State | Popular Vote: | Electoral Vote: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Howard Taft | Republican | Ohio | 7,678,908 | 321 |
| William Jennings Bryan | Democratic | Nebraska | 6,409,104 | 162 |
| Eugene Victor Debs | Socialist | Indiana | 420,793 | 0 |
| Eugene Wilder Chafin | Prohibition | Illinois | 253,840 | 0 |
| Thomas Louis Hisgen | Independence | Massachusetts | 82,872 | 0 |
| Thomas Edward Watson | People's | Georgia | 29,100 | 0 |
| August Gilhaus | Socialist Labor | New York | 14,021 | 0 |
| Daniel Braxton Turney | United Christian | Illinois | 400 | 0 |
| Vice Presidential Candidate | Party | State | Popular Vote: | Electoral Vote: |
| James Schoolcraft Sherman | Republican | New York | - - - | 321 |
| John Worth Kern | Democratic | Indiana | - - - | 162 |
| Benjamin Hanford | Socialist | New York | - - - | 0 |
| Aaron Sherman Watkins | Prohibition | Ohio | - - - | 0 |
| John Temple Graves | Independence | Georgia | - - - | 0 |
| Samuel Williams | Populist | Indiana | - - - | 0 |
| Donald L. Munro | Socialist Labor | Virginia | - - - | 0 |
| Lorenzo S. Coffin | United Christian | Iowa | - - - | 0 |
Notes
- Vice-President James S. Sherman died in office October 30, 1912.