Originally Posted By: KY Jon
Third parties do matter. They change outcomes. Had Teddy R not run in 1912 Wilson would not have been elected.


On the other hand, had the Republican Party nominated Teddy rather than Taft, same result: Wilson wouldn't have been elected. They didn't have a lot of primaries back then, but Teddy swept them--including in Taft's home state. Taft was nominated via the old "smoke filled room" system.