Roosevelt , again in opposition to Tammany Hall , supported New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson 's successful bid for the 1912 Democratic nomination , earning an informal designation as an original Wilson man . The election became a three-way contest , as Theodore Roosevelt left the Republican Party to launch a third party campaign against Wilson and sitting Republican President William Howard Taft . Franklin 's decision to back Wilson over Theodore Roosevelt in the general election alienated some members of his family , although Theodore himself was not offended . Wilson 's victory over the divided Republican Party made him the first Democrat to win a presidential election since 1892 . Overcoming a bout with typhoid fever , and with extensive assistance from journalist Louis McHenry Howe , Roosevelt was re-elected in the 1912 elections . After the election , he served for a short time as chairman of the Agriculture Committee , and his success with farm and labor bills was a precursor to his New Deal policies twenty years later . By this time he had become more consistently progressive , in support of labor and social welfare programs for women and children ; cousin Theodore was of some influence on these issues
1912 Democratic nomination
1912 Democratic National Convention
Franklin D. Roosevelt