The third party progressive party gave the election to the Democrat, Woodrow Wilson. Theodore Roosevelt, former Republican president, ran on the Progressive ticket ( also known as the Bull Moose party). Added together he and Taft, the Republican candidate got enough votes to win, but Wilson got more votes than either one of them separately.
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The Republican Party was divided when Theodore Roosevelt left to join the Progressive Party ticket, and many voters were attracted to Wilson's reform package.
The Bull Moose party who ran TR.
In the US we have only two parties, but many more 'interests'. The Democratic Party traditionally served liberals, progressives, labor, consumerism, etc. etc. The Republican Party served conservatives, capitalists, libertarians, etc. Both parties at different times served isolationists, racists, reactionaries, expansionists, imperialists, etc. When one of these interest groups feels its party doesn't serve its needs, they will sometimes attempt to form their own parties. The Progressive Party, the Free Soilers, the Know Nothings, the 'American Independent Party' (of George Wallace) are examples of this. In the case of the Progressive Party, Teddy Roosevelt was a very progressive president in the Republican Party. In fact his time in office was called 'The Progressive Era'. Roosevelt endorsed the next American president, Taft, thinking Taft would carry on TR's progressive agenda. When he didn't, Roosevelt got angry and decided to run against him as a third party candidate. His party is called the Bull Moose Party but that's a nickname, it was actually the Progressive Party.
Yes, before 1912 party candidates were chosen by party leaders, but since the Republican Party split they could not agree on one candidate. Senator Albert Cummins drafted the bill for the first presidential primary.
Pro- Roosevelt Republicans were dissatified with the nomination of president tafts as a candidate for a second term/ yeaaa budddy !