Campaigning at Case: Presidential Elections,
1892-2008
1908: Mock Conventions
A recurring element of student political activity was the spring
mock political convention, in which students mimicked the (pre-primary)
work of the party conventions of drafting platforms and selecting
nominees. The WRU student choice for the Republican Party nominee
in 1908 was Robert LaFollette, Wisconsin Senator. The students’
choice was not echoed by the delegates to the Republican Party
convention, who selected William H. Taft.
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This first mock political convention held
by either Case or WRU nominated Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin
for president.
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The Republican Party continued its previous
support on the WRU campus with the resurrection of the
Republican Club.
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Ohio Popular Vote |
National Popular Vote |
Electoral Vote |
William H. Taft (R) 572,312 (51%)
William J. Bryan (D) 502,721 (44.8%)
Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) 33,795 (3%)
Eugene W. Chafin (Prohibition) 11,402 (1%)
August Gilhaus (Socialist Labor) 721 (.1%)
Thomas L. Hisgen (Independence) 439
Thomas Edward Watson (People’s) 162 |
William H. Taft (R) 7,676,258 (51.58%)
William J. Bryan (D) 6,406,801 (43.05%)
Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) 420,380 (2.82%)
Eugene W. Chafin (Prohibition) 252,821 (1.7%)
Thomas L. Hisgen (Independence) 82,537 (.55%)
Thomas Edward Watson (People’s) 28,376 (.19%)
August Gilhaus (Socialist Labor) 14,018 (.09%) |
William H. Taft (R) 321
William J. Bryan (D) 162 |
Information was compiled by staff of the Case Western Reserve
University Archives, September 2004.
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