 McCreary pointed out that O 'Rear had been nominated at a party nominating convention instead of winning a primary , though O 'Rear claimed to support primary elections . He also criticized O 'Rear for continuing to receive his salary as a judge while running for governor . McCreary cited what he called the Republicans ' record of " assassination , bloodshed , and disregard of law " , an allusion to the assassination of William Goebel in the aftermath of the 1899 gubernatorial contest . Caleb Powers , convicted three times of being an accessory to Goebel 's murder , had been pardoned by Republican governor Augustus Willson and had recently been elected to Congress . He further attacked the tariff policies of Republican President William H. Taft . In the general election , McCreary won a decisive victory , garnering 226 @,@ 771 votes to O 'Rear 's 195 @,@ 435 . Several other minor party candidates also received votes , including Socialist candidate Walter Lanfersiek , who claimed 8 @,@ 718 votes ( 2 percent of the total ) . 
