Election of 1896: The Issue of Money and Modern Campaigning in America

Candidates:
Republican Party: William McKinley (Ohio) and Garret Hobart (New York)
Democratic Party: William Jennings Bryan (Nebraska) and Arthur Sewall (Maine)
People’s Party: William Jennings Bryan (Nebraska) and Thomas E. Watson (Georgia)

Election Results:
McKinley and Hobart: 7.10 million popular votes, 271 electoral votes.
Bryan and Arthur Sewall/Thomas E. Watson: 6.51 million popular votes (fusion of Democrats and Populists), 149 electoral votes (Democrats) and 27 electoral votes (Populists).

Summary:
Much like the Republican problems during the 1892 election, in which Grover Cleveland won his second term of office, the Democratic Party faced problems in the 1896 election. Cleveland, who had won on the strength of labor unions and his policy on monetary policy, lost on both of his signature issues. His use of the military during a railroad strike in 1894 and his comment that he would he would commission the military to do government services if the postal service struck did not endear himself to the growing labor movement within the Democratic Party. These blunders caused the Republicans to gain over 100 House seats and control over the Senate in the 1894 midterm elections.