Why is the Bull Moose Party important?

Answer 1

Robert La Follette was attempting to gain the Republican nomination for President in 1912. He was a noted progressive. Teddy Roosevelt had said he would not run for the office but actually he did want to try again to become President of the US. Roosevelt got into race after LaFollette collapsed during one of his speeches. While TR became the popular favorite, William Taft controlled most of the proceedings at the convention. Taft had become more conservative than either TR of Wilson. When Taft was nominated, Roosevelt decided to create a third party and run as an independent. Before giving a speech, he was shot in the chest, but a copy of his speech in his pocket saved him from being too badly wounded. He delivered his speech and proclaimed that it would take more than that to stop a Bull Moose. Hence, the name for the new party. The fact that TR got into the race, split the Republican voters during the election and enabled Woodrow Wilson, the Democrat, to be elected President. Wilson, a progressive, became one of the few, "minority" Presidents. That means, he did not get more than 50 % of the popular vote. Wilson got 41.9%, Taft only got 23.2%. But Wilson scored big in the Electoral College with 435 votes to TR's 88 and Taft's 8.