This is the 1904 U.S. Presidential Election in the
Forgotten No More universe:
The
1904 United States presidential election was the 30th quadrennial
presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 1, 1904.
Federalist nominee
Nelson Appleton Miles defeated the
Workers nominee, incumbent
Vice-President Walter Rauschenbusch. Miles'
electoral landslide is notable for following the
1900 landslide of Workers
President Thompson Murch.
Though the
Murch presidency had entered office with much fanfare following the 12 year rule of
George Custer, the major government changes adopted during his term caused a
reactionary uproar. Under Murch, the country had adopted a
run-off system for selecting the President (the
16th Amendment to the
First Constitution), enshrined the right of
laborers to
strike,
unionize and demand
wage increases (the
17th Amendment to the First Constitution) and various controversial taxes, including an
income tax, were created. Though he did remain personally popular, the incumbent refused to seek a second term. Vice-President Rauschenbusch, a member of the Workers Party's prominent
christocratic faction and a major proponent of the
Social Gospel movement, was selected as the nominee at the
1904 Workers Party National Convention. The
1904 Federalist Party National Convention became a days long affair after delegates struggled to coalesce behind a candidate. Initially, the favorite was
Congressman William Astor of
New York, but as the balloting dragged on he lost most of his support to
Blair Lee I, the
Governor of
Virginia, whom he ultimately endorsed. But Lee was seen as a party hack by many and segments of the party feared voters would distrust him, spurning a late run by
Senator Robert Borden of
Nova Scotia. Ultimately, party favorites were abandoned in favor of an outsider - General Nelson Miles - and a platform repudiating the
liberal agenda of 1900 while also repudiating the overreach of the Murch presidency. The
Constitution Party nominated
Henry du Pont of
Delaware, hoping to capitalize on both major parties' devotion to
big government.
Despite a long and tumultuous Federalist Convention, the party was able to amplify the
First Green Scare following the Murch presidency to catapult Nelson Miles to the presidency. With non-Workers firmly opposed to the fast pace of changes enacted by the Murch administration, and the Workers themselves divided between supporting their candidate and denouncing him as a christocrat, the election was a landslide for Miles even though the man failed to win a majority of the
popular vote. Still, his more than 9% margin in the popular vote was enough to catapult him to significant victories across the Midwest, a typically Workers stronghold, and secure him the victory. Of note was the strong Constitution Party performance, with the 1904 election cementing its place in the 2.5 party system of the first quarter of the 20th century.