This was an idea that popped into my head.
What if Roosevelt attempted to run for a second full term in 1908 instead of telling Taft to run, and the Republican officials, wanting to oust Roosevelt from power, rally behind a Conservative candidate (any ideas?) forcing Roosevelt to make an independent run under his Progressive banner four years earlier than this time? Also, to make matters more interesting for 1908, Cleveland both doesn’t have a heart attack and decides to try again and give Conservative Democrats a victory, meaning William Jennings Bryan both isn’t the candidate and won’t give his support to Cleveland.
How do you see this turning out with two conservative candidates and the Progressive Roosevelt?