William Howard Taft, the incumbent president, won the nomination of the regular Republican Party.

This split in the GOP ranks divided the Republican vote and led to the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

Then-Senator Warren G. Harding is credited with coining the phrase "Founding Fathers" during his keynote address.

At the start, Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes was widely seen as the favorite due to his ability to unite the party, though the nomination of a dark horse candidate such as Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge or General Leonard Wood seemed possible.

[3] Hughes won the nomination on the third ballot, and Roosevelt chose to forgo a third-party bid.