In the Presidential election , Republican former Governor William McKinley of Ohio defeated Democratic former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska . McKinley took the Republican nomination on the first ballot , while Bryan took the Democratic nomination on the fifth ballot ( at age 36 , he became youngest presidential nominee of a major party ) , defeating former Missouri Representative Richard P. Bland and several other candidates . Bryan 's Cross of Gold speech , in which he advocated for " free silver , " helped deliver him the Democratic nomination , and also attracted the support of the Populist Party and the Silver Republican Party . Though Bryan carried most of the South and the West , McKinley won a comfortable margin in both the electoral college and the popular vote by carrying the Northeast and the Great Lakes region
Democratic nomination
1896 Democratic National Convention
1896 United States elections