The 1912 presidential campaign was bitterly contested.

Roosevelt conducted a vigorous national campaign for the Progressive Party, denouncing the way the Republican nomination had been "stolen".
He bundled together his reforms under the rubric of "The New Nationalism" and stumped the country for a strong federal role in regulating the economy and chastising bad corporations.
Roosevelt rallied progressives with speeches denouncing the political establishment.
He promised "an expert tariff commission, wholly removed from the possibility of political pressure or of improper business influence."


Wilson supported a policy called "The New Freedom".
This policy was based mostly on individualism instead of a strong government.

Taft campaigned quietly, and spoke of the need for judges to be more powerful than elected officials.
The departure of the progressives left the conservative even more firmly in control of the Republican Party.
Much of the Republican effort was designed to discredit Roosevelt as a dangerous radical, but this had little effect.
Many of the nation's pro-Republican newspapers depicted Roosevelt as an egotist running only to spoil Taft's chances and feed his vanity.

The Socialists had little funding.
Debs' campaign spent only $66,000, mostly on 3.5 million leaflets and travel to locally organized rallies.
His biggest event was a speech to 15,000 supporters in New York City.
The crowd sang "La Marseillaise" and "The Internationale."
Debs's running mate Emil Seidel boasted: 
"Only a year ago workingmen were throwing decayed vegetables and rotten eggs at us but now all is changed... Eggs are too high.
There is a great giant growing up in this country that will someday take over the affairs of this nation.
He is a little giant now but he is growing fast.
The name of this little giant is socialism."

Debs insisted that Democrats, Progressives, and Republicans alike were financed by the trusts and that only the Socialists represented labor.
He condemned "Injunction Bill Taft" and ridiculed Roosevelt as "a charlatan, mountebank, and fraud, and his Progressive promises and pledges as the mouthings of a low and utterly unprincipled self seeker and demagogue."
However, labor unions largely rejected Debs and supported Wilson.
The 1912 presidential campaign was bitterly contested. 
Roosevelt conducted a vigorous national campaign for the Progressive Party, denouncing the way the Republican nomination had been "stolen". He bundled together his reforms under the rubric of "The New Nationalism" and stumped the country for a strong federal role in regulating the economy and chastising bad corporations. Roosevelt rallied progressives with speeches denouncing the political establishment. He promised "an expert tariff commission, wholly removed from the possibility of political pressure or of improper business influence."

Wilson supported a policy called "The New Freedom". This policy was based mostly on individualism instead of a strong government.
Taft campaigned quietly, and spoke of the need for judges to be more powerful than elected officials. The departure of the progressives left the conservative even more firmly in control of the Republican Party. Much of the Republican effort was designed to discredit Roosevelt as a dangerous radical, but this had little effect. Many of the nation's pro-Republican newspapers depicted Roosevelt as an egotist running only to spoil Taft's chances and feed his vanity.
The Socialists had little funding. Debs' campaign spent only $66,000, mostly on 3.5 million leaflets and travel to locally organized rallies. His biggest event was a speech to 15,000 supporters in New York City. The crowd sang "La Marseillaise" and "The Internationale." Debs's running mate Emil Seidel boasted: 
"Only a year ago workingmen were throwing decayed vegetables and rotten eggs at us but now all is changed... Eggs are too high. There is a great giant growing up in this country that will someday take over the affairs of this nation. He is a little giant now but he is growing fast. The name of this little giant is socialism."
Debs insisted that Democrats, Progressives, and Republicans alike were financed by the trusts and that only the Socialists represented labor. He condemned "Injunction Bill Taft" and ridiculed Roosevelt as "a charlatan, mountebank, and fraud, and his Progressive promises and pledges as the mouthings of a low and utterly unprincipled self seeker and demagogue." However, labor unions largely rejected Debs and supported Wilson.
1912 United States presidential election