November 5, 1908
William Howard Taft Wins 1908
William Howard Taft defeats William Jennings Bryan with 302 electoral votes, winning 29 states.
William Jennings Bryan
164 EV
270 to win
William Howard Taft
302 EV
164
302
270
William Howard Taft wins
302
Electoral Votes
52.0%
Popular Vote
29
States Carried
14,625,304
Total Votes Cast
William Howard Taft won the 1908 presidential election with 302 electoral votes to William Jennings Bryan's 164. William Howard Taft received 52.0% of the popular vote and carried 29 states. Compared to the previous election, 265 counties changed parties—58 flipped Republican and 207 flipped Democratic.
1908 National Results
Electoral College
270 needed to winDemocrat
William Jennings Bryan
164
electoral votes
Republican
William Howard Taft
302
electoral votes
164
302
270
Popular Vote
14,625,304 total votesWilliam Jennings Bryan42.7%
6,239,078 votes
William Howard Taft52.0%
7,604,488 votes
R+9.3% margin
(1,365,410 vote difference)
Source: Official state election returnsWilliam Howard Taft elected president
State Results
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Recent Presidential Elections
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Electoral | Popular | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | William Jennings Bryan | William Howard Taft | 164-302 | R+9.3% | GOP |
| 1904 | Alton B. Parker | Theodore Roosevelt | 136-323 | R+19.1% | GOP |
| 1900 | William Jennings Bryan | William McKinley | 170-295 | R+7.1% | GOP |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan | William McKinley | 193-272 | R+6.1% | GOP |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland | Benjamin Harrison | 310-142 | D+3.1% | DEM |
State-by-State Results
15 Dem29 Rep
Battleground States (Margin < 5%)
| State | EV | 1908 |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 9 | D+87.8 |
| Louisiana | 8 | D+72.7 |
| Alabama | 9 | D+46.4 |
| Florida | 30 | D+41.4 |
| Maryland | 10 | D+31.9 |
| Georgia | 16 | D+23.4 |
| Virginia | 13 | D+22.2 |
| Arkansas | 6 | D+20.3 |
| North Carolina | 16 | D+8.7 |
| Tennessee | 11 | D+6.8 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | D+4.7 |
| Nevada | 6 | D+1.8 |
| Kentucky | 8 | D+1.7 |
| Nebraska | 5 | D+1.5 |
| Colorado | 10 | D+1.1 |
| Missouri | 10 | R+0.1 |
| Indiana | 11 | R+1.5 |
| Montana | 4 | R+4.4 |
| Delaware | 3 | R+6.1 |
| Ohio | 17 | R+6.2 |
| Kansas | 6 | R+9.4 |
| West Virginia | 4 | R+10.3 |
| New York | 28 | R+12.4 |
| Iowa | 6 | R+15.1 |
| Illinois | 19 | R+15.5 |
| Wyoming | 3 | R+15.8 |
| Idaho | 4 | R+16.9 |
| Utah | 6 | R+17.0 |
| New Jersey | 14 | R+17.7 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | R+17.8 |
| New Hampshire | 4 | R+21.8 |
| Oregon | 8 | R+22.1 |
| California | 54 | R+22.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 19 | R+23.4 |
| Connecticut | 7 | R+23.5 |
| South Dakota | 3 | R+23.8 |
| Massachusetts | 11 | R+24.2 |
| Washington | 12 | R+25.8 |
| Minnesota | 10 | R+26.2 |
| North Dakota | 3 | R+26.2 |
| Rhode Island | 4 | R+26.6 |
| Michigan | 15 | R+29.5 |
| Maine | 4 | R+29.7 |
| Vermont | 3 | R+53.3 |