 McKinley was a noted protectionist , and was confident of winning an election fought on that question . But it was free silver that became the issue of the day , with William Jennings Bryan capturing the Democratic nomination as a foe of the gold standard . Hanna raised millions for a campaign of education with trainloads of pamphlets to convince the voter that free silver would be harmful , and once that had its effect , even more were printed on protectionism . McKinley stayed at home in Canton , Ohio , running a front porch campaign and reaching millions through newspaper coverage of the speeches he gave to organized groups of people who came to see him and hear him address them . This contrasted with Bryan , who toured the nation by rail in his campaign . Supported by the well @-@ to @-@ do , urban dwellers , and prosperous farmers , McKinley won a majority of the popular vote and an easy victory in the Electoral College . McKinley 's systemized approach to gaining the presidency laid the groundwork for modern campaigns , and he forged an electoral coalition that would keep the Republicans in power most of the time until 1932 . 
