Nine of the states where progressive elements were strongest had set up preference primaries , which Roosevelt won , but Taft had worked far harder than Roosevelt to control the Republican Party 's organizational operations and the mechanism for choosing its presidential nominee , the 1912 Republican National Convention . For example , he bought up the votes of delegates from the southern states , copying the technique Roosevelt himself used in 1904 . The Republican National Convention rejected Roosevelt 's protests . Roosevelt and his supporters walked out and the convention re-nominated Taft . The next day , Roosevelt supporters met to form a new political party of their own . California governor Hiram Johnson became its chairman and a new convention was scheduled for August . Most of the funding came from wealthy sponsors , magazine publisher Frank A. Munsey provided $ 135,000 ; and George W. Perkins , a director of U.S. Steel and chairman of the International Harvester Company , gave $ 130,000 and became its executive secretary . Roosevelt 's family gave $ 77,500 and others gave $ 164,000 . The total was nearly $ 600,000 , far less than the major parties
1912 Republican National Convention
1912 Republican National Convention
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)