Question

One of Roosevelt's most controversial decisions involved his effort to achieve a third term in office as candidate for the Progressive Party. He ran against Eugene Debs, the incumbent, William Taft, and the Democratic Woodrow Wilson. How did this decision influence the election and the Progressive Party?

Answer 1

Roosevelt's decision to run for his third term influenced the election and the Progressive Party. Citizens of the US had a pull of 4 candidates that split the election. Woodrow Wilson won with 435 electoral votes and 6,293,454 popular votes. Roosevelt finished in second place with 88 electoral votes and 4,119,207 popular votes. Since William Taft was running for the Republican Party, Roosevelt ran for the Progressive Party, because of this, a lot of Roosevelt's votes came from the Republican Party.

Answer 2

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt's decision to participate influenced the election and the Progressive Party in that another serious contender participated in the disputed election of 1912. US citizens had a pull of four candidates that polarized the election in which the winner was Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson.

Elected candidate Woodrow Wilson ended up with 435 electoral votes and 6,293,454 popular votes. Former US President Theodore Roosevelt finished in second place with 88 electoral votes and 4,119,207 popular votes.

One reason for this result was the fact that the Republicans faced a serious internal division in the party when Republicans decided that William Taft was going to be its candidate. That is why Roosevelt decided to compete for the Progressive party, taking with him many members and votes that formerly belonged to the Republican party.