1908 United States elections

{{short description|none}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox United States elections

| year = 1908

| type = Presidential election year

| election_day = November 3

| incumbent_president = Theodore Roosevelt (Republican)

| next_congress = 61st

| president_control = Republican hold

| president_candidate1 = William Howard Taft (R)

| electoral_vote1 = 321

| president_candidate2 = William Jennings Bryan (D)

| electoral_vote2 = 162

| president_pv_margin = Republican +8.6%

| president_map = {{United States presidential election, 1908 imagemap}}

| president_map_caption = 1908 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Taft, blue denotes states won by Bryan. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.

| senate_seats_contested = 31 of 92 seatsNot counting special elections

| senate_control = Republican hold

| senate_net_change = Democratic +1Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.

| house_seats_contested = All 391 voting members

| house_control = Republican hold

| house_net_change = Democratic +5

| governor_seats_contested = 33

| governor_net_change = Democratic +2

| governor_map = {{1908 United States gubernatorial elections imagemap}}

| governor_map_caption = 1908 gubernatorial election results{{paragraph break}}

{{legend-inline|#0671B0|Democratic gain}} {{legend-inline|#92C5DE|Democratic hold}}

{{legend-inline|#CA0120|Republican gain}} {{legend-inline|#F48882|Republican hold}}

|senate_map=400px|senate_map_caption=Results of the elections:
{{legend0|#0671B0|Democratic gain}} {{legend0|#92C5DE|Democratic hold}}
{{legend0|#CA0120|Republican gain}} {{legend0|#F48882|Republican hold}}}}

Elections were held for the 61st United States Congress, occurring during the Fourth Party System. Oklahoma joined the union during the 61st Congress. Despite the Panic of 1907, Republicans continued to control the presidency and both houses of Congress.

In the presidential election, Republican former Secretary of War William Howard Taft defeated Democratic former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska.{{cite web|title=1908 Presidential Election|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1908|website=The American Presidency Project|access-date=25 June 2014}} Taft and Bryan won both of their respective parties' nominations on the first ballot. Taft easily won the election, taking most states outside the South. Bryan's loss made him the only presidential nominee of a major party to lose three general elections.

Democrats made minor gains in the House, but Republicans maintained a solid majority in the chamber.{{cite web|title=Party Divisions of the House of Representatives|url=http://history.house.gov/Institution/Party-Divisions/Party-Divisions/|publisher=United States House of Representatives|access-date=25 June 2014}}

In the Senate, Democrats picked up one seat, but Republicans continued to hold a commanding majority.{{cite web|title=Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present|url=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm|publisher=United States Senate|access-date=25 June 2014}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{1908 United States elections}}

{{United States elections}}

Category:1908 elections in the United States

1908

{{US-election-stub}}