Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt honored his promise not to seek a third term , and persuaded his close friend , Taft , to become his successor . With Roosevelt 's support , Taft won the presidential nomination of the 1908 Republican National Convention on the first ballot . Having lost the 1904 election badly , the Democratic Party re-nominated Bryan , who had been defeated in 1896 and 1900 by Republican William McKinley . Despite his two previous defeats and the waning of the Free Silver issue , Bryan remained extremely popular among the more liberal and populist elements of the Democratic Party
1908 Republican National Convention
1908 Republican National Convention
1908 United States presidential election