the 1908 u.s. presidential election occurred in the backdrop of the progressive achievements of u.s. president theodore roosevelt's second term as well as against the u.s. recovery following the panic of 1907. in this election, roosevelt's chosen successor, republican william howard taft, ran in large part on roosevelt's progressive legacy and decisively defeated former congressman and three-time democratic u.s. presidential candidate william jennings bryan (who also advocated progressive ideas in his campaign). overall, the 1908 presidential campaign and election were about labor issues, trusts, campaign finance reform, imperialism, and corruption.