1904 United States presidential election — 30th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Roosevelt's 1904 victory made him the first president who ascended via a predecessor's death to win a full term, with an 18.8% popular vote margin unseen for a century.
Key Facts
- Election Date
- November 8, 1904
- Popular Vote Margin
- 18.8% (largest between 1820 and 1920)
- Electoral Votes
- Roosevelt was first candidate to exceed 300 electoral votes
- Democratic Nominee
- Alton B. Parker, Chief Judge, NY Court of Appeals
- Missouri Vote
- First time since 1868 Missouri voted Republican
- Both Candidates' Home State
- Both candidates registered in New York
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency in September 1901 following William McKinley's assassination. After the February 1904 death of Senator Mark Hanna, Roosevelt faced little internal Republican opposition. The Democratic Party, temporarily recaptured by conservative Bourbon Democrats allied with Grover Cleveland, nominated Alton B. Parker over William Randolph Hearst at their national convention.
On November 8, 1904, Roosevelt defeated Parker in a landslide. The campaign centered largely on personality rather than policy, with Democrats criticizing Roosevelt as arbitrary and erratic while Republicans highlighted his foreign affairs successes and anti-monopoly record. Roosevelt swept every region except the South, and Parker lost several states Bryan had carried in 1900, including his home state of New York.
Roosevelt's decisive win established him as the first president to ascend from a predecessor's death and then win a full term in his own right. He became the first presidential candidate to receive over 300 electoral votes and the first non-midwestern Republican elected president. His landslide margin of 18.8% in the popular vote was the largest recorded in the United States between 1820 and 1920.
Political Outcome
Republican Theodore Roosevelt defeated Democrat Alton B. Parker in a landslide, winning all regions except the South.
Roosevelt as incumbent, having ascended to presidency via McKinley's assassination
Roosevelt elected to a full presidential term in his own right