The Democrats nominated former Nebraska congressman William Jennings Bryan , who had electrified the Democratic National Convention with his Cross of Gold speech . When Bryan accepted his nomination with a lengthy address in New York , the senator-elect commented , " Mr. Bryan made himself by one speech , and now he has unmade himself by one speech " . Although Foraker went to Europe for four weeks ( his sole trip abroad ) , he gave almost 200 speeches for the Republicans once he returned . McKinley was elected president with a comfortable majority in the Electoral College
Democratic National Convention
1896 Democratic National Convention
Joseph B. Foraker