The Square Deal and Beyond: 1904 & 1908

William McKinley was dead and his Vice President, Teddy Roosevelt, was president. In 1904, Roosevelt decided to run in his own right as he was wildly popular. The Republican Party bosses hated him since they could not control him. He won the nomination anyway and the bosses had to wait another four years for a more pliable candidate.
The Democrats would have to wait another four years for a shot at the White House. They had no chance and nominated Judge Alton B Parker. Parker was the most boring candidate in history. The contrast could not be more striking. Roosevelt was a force of nature while Parker was a tree stump.
T.R. became the first vice president to ascend to the presidency and then win a term in his own right 56% to 37%. Socialist Eugene Debs won 400,000 votes. After winning, Roosevelt promised not to run again in 1908. He was not going to go against the two term tradition. When 1908 came around, T.R. wished he had not made that pledge.
As 1908 approached, both parties searched for the candidate most like Roosevelt. T.R. picked William Howard Taft to run. The Democrats chose William Jennings Bryan. The campaign came down to who would be the most like Roosevelt. The Democrat Bryan was a two time loser. The Republican Taft was Roosevelt's hand picked successor. Taft won big.