Previously in the Election of 1908, Roosevelt wanted and supported Taft for president before he left office. At first, Teddy declined requests to run for a third term. He had stated that he would not run under any circumstances. However, these traditional sentiments began to fade away, and Roosevelt changed his attitude and view. When Roosevelt wanted to run for president a second term, he realized that it was too late, as Taft was already a nominee for the Republicans. As more and more Progressives begged him to campaign again, Roosevelt accepted, and the battle between him and Taft grew extreme and intense. During the presidential campaign of 1912, both of them railed against each other as only worst enemies could. Roosevelt called Taft disloyal and a fraud, while Taft responded that Roosevelt was unethical and egotistical. The US has never seen so many insults and hatred as it did during this campaign, and the Republicans were forced to choose sides in the battle. The extent of the rift in the Party was evident at the Republican Convention in Chicago. Once Taft received the party nomination, Roosevelt and his Progressive supporters left the convention hall and within hours they formed the Progressive Party. The newly formed Progressive Party nominated Theodore Roosevelt as their presidential candidate. When a reporter asked Teddy if he was fit for the rigors of another Presidential campaign, Roosevelt answered that he was as fit as a bull moose. Eventually, his new party became known as the Bull Moose Party.
The platform of the party called for major reforms such as women’s suffrage, social welfare assistance for women and children, farm relief, revisions in banking, health insurance in industries, and worker’s compensation. They also wanted an easier method to amend the constitution.
While the Republicans was involved in their debates between Taft and Roosevelt, the Democrats had to nominate someone other than William Jennings Bryan. They chose Woodrow Wilson as their new candidate. In 1910, Wilson was elected as Governor of New Jersey and quickly won a reputation for his progressive policies. With his fluent speeches and political energy, he was the clear candidate for the 1912 Presidential election. In addition, a fourth candidate had entered the race, and his name was Eugene V. Debs, and he ran for the Socialist Party.
The campaign between the four candidates was very intense, especially for Roosevelt. On October 14, 1912, a month before Election Day, Roosevelt was shot in the chest in an assassination attempt during a speech to an audience in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He barely lived, because the bullet had hit a metal spectacle case in his breast pocket and was blocked away from his heart and lungs. The audience had captured the assassin, John Schrank, but Roosevelt ordered not to harm him. Although the bullet was still lodged in his chest, he resumed his speech anyway. Subsequently, Teddy stated that the metal spectacle case wasn’t the only reason why he lived; the surgeon who retrieved the bullet said that Roosevelt’s remarkable physical condition and muscular frame stopped the bullet and prevented any serious damage. Theodore never figured out why Schrank tried to kill him.
When the votes were counted after Election Day, the results weren’t surprising as Woodrow Wilson from the Democratic Party won. This was primarily due to Taft and Teddy shattering the Republican Party in their personal feud and political battle to receive the nomination. After losing, Roosevelt persuaded the Progressives to rejoin the Republican Party.
Although the Bull Moose Party lost at the national level in 1912, they continued putting candidates on the ballot at the state and local elections. Nevertheless, these candidates did poorly in 1914. The party held a convention in 1916 and nominated Teddy to run again, but when he refused, the party tried to give the nomination to Evan Hughes, which eventually led to the end of the Bull Moose Party.
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