There was no one single "Populist Party", each state had a party that differed on the issues of Prohibition, governmental reform, tarriffs and such. The main similarities where the farmer loyalties the "Old Guard", the men who started the party in the 1880's and 1890's when they were upstarts and voices of the farmer, and the little guy. By 1912 that had fallen apart. Farmers hated the way the Northern controlled the party, urban progressives agreed with the reform aspects of the party, anti-monopoly being the biggest reason they voted for them, but didn't care much for their emphasis on rural services and Christian Democracy. Blacks who had helped oust the Democrats (some of whom ran under "Independent" or "Conservative" banners stateside until the century ended), felt the Republicans and Socialists where more interested in them then the white farmers and landowners, still owning the vast majority of land and money in the South. Success had come at a price, no one really knew where to go, no one really wanted anything else from them.
While the Populists did rebound during the midterms, they were blindsided by two oppositions: The Socialists in the cities and the Prohibitionists in the South and West. The Socialists appealed to the sharecroppers and blacks, the Prohibitionists against secular and morally corrosive influence. The leaders of the two minor parties represented their nationwide constituencies well: Hillquit a big city immigrant, Watkins a border state minister and teacher. The issues of the election were mostly personality, Underwood was popular if not that great, the Old Guard Populists were retired or retiring, feeling successful in their day with their reforms, and it looked like the European War (increasing in scope since 1911), was going to end in favor of the Eastern Powers, another fear that Americans held.
(Ugh...It's kinda hard getting back into things, so consider this an appetizer. Comments, critism, all that jazz would be nice)
1890 Lodge Bill Timeline:
1892 Presidential and Congressional elections
1894 Congress/1896 general elections
1898 Congress/1900 general election
1902 Congress/1904 general elections
*John Calhoun Bell biography
1906 Congressional elections
1908 General Elections
1910 Congress/1912 general election
While the Populists did rebound during the midterms, they were blindsided by two oppositions: The Socialists in the cities and the Prohibitionists in the South and West. The Socialists appealed to the sharecroppers and blacks, the Prohibitionists against secular and morally corrosive influence. The leaders of the two minor parties represented their nationwide constituencies well: Hillquit a big city immigrant, Watkins a border state minister and teacher. The issues of the election were mostly personality, Underwood was popular if not that great, the Old Guard Populists were retired or retiring, feeling successful in their day with their reforms, and it looked like the European War (increasing in scope since 1911), was going to end in favor of the Eastern Powers, another fear that Americans held.
(Ugh...It's kinda hard getting back into things, so consider this an appetizer. Comments, critism, all that jazz would be nice)
1890 Lodge Bill Timeline:
1892 Presidential and Congressional elections
1894 Congress/1896 general elections
1898 Congress/1900 general election
1902 Congress/1904 general elections
*John Calhoun Bell biography
1906 Congressional elections
1908 General Elections
1910 Congress/1912 general election