 McKinley won the entire Northeast and Midwest , and broke into the border states to win Delaware , Maryland , Kentucky , and West Virginia . He won North Dakota , and came close in South Dakota , Kansas , and in Bryan 's Nebraska . McKinley was also successful in California and Oregon . McKinley won with 7 @.@ 1 million votes to Bryan 's 6 @.@ 5 million , 51 % to 47 % . The electoral vote was not as close : 271 for McKinley to 176 for Bryan . McKinley increased the Republican vote by 2 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 from Harrison 's defeat in 1892 , though Bryan also increased the Democratic total . 
