Which statement best explains what happened in the election of 1912?

Which statement best explains what happened in the election of 1912?

• A. Wilson won with a landslide due to coalition
• B. Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, allowing Wilson to be elected
• C. The Progressive Party won a majority
• D. The election was decided by the Supreme Court

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that when two major candidates split the vote, a third candidate can win. In 1912, Roosevelt ran as a popular third-party candidate with the Progressive Party, while Taft was the incumbent Republican. Their division of the Republican base meant that Wilson, the Democrat, could secure the presidency with the electoral votes even though he did not win a majority of the popular vote. Roosevelt and Taft together gathered far more votes than Wilson in the aggregate, but because they split the opposition, Wilson won the electoral college. The election wasn’t decided by the Supreme Court, and the Progressive Party did not win a majority; Wilson’s win came from the split in the rival vote.

The main idea is that when two major candidates split the vote, a third candidate can win. In 1912, Roosevelt ran as a popular third-party candidate with the Progressive Party, while Taft was the incumbent Republican. Their division of the Republican base meant that Wilson, the Democrat, could secure the presidency with the electoral votes even though he did not win a majority of the popular vote. Roosevelt and Taft together gathered far more votes than Wilson in the aggregate, but because they split the opposition, Wilson won the electoral college. The election wasn’t decided by the Supreme Court, and the Progressive Party did not win a majority; Wilson’s win came from the split in the rival vote.