When
Theodore Roosevelt supported
William Howard Taft for the nomination of the
Republican Party in 1908, he calculated that Taft, with whom he had been working well throughout his administration, would uphold his policies when elected President in his own right. As Taft's administration progressed, Roosevelt became disenchanted. He unsuccessfully opposed Taft for the Republican nomination in 1912. He then bolted the party and joined the group that had been formed by Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette, who nominated him as their candidate. Roosevelt got more than 4 million votes, more than Taft, but the winner was Democrat
Woodrow Wilson.
The Bull Moose Party was a one-election phenomenon. By 1916, the Repblican progressives who had defected with Roosevelt had generally returned to the party.
