Progressive Party

One of Woodrow Wilson's supporters during the 1912 election was Senator Robert La Follette from Wisconsin. A former governor and congressman, La Follette was a fierce advocate of progressive causes such as railroad regulation, progressive taxation, and women's suffrage. However, La Follette was staunchly opposed to Wilson's decision to intervene in World War I and to the military draft that accompanied U.S. entry into the conflict.

La Follette's position on World War I and his passionate defense of jailed Socialist leader Eugene Debs got him into some political hot water during the "Red Scare" of 1919-1920, but the Wisconsin progressive nonetheless won reelection to the Senate in 1922. Anger over the corruption scandals that plagued the pro-business Harding administration was one of the factors that led "Fightin' Bob" to run for the presidency in 1924 as the nominee of a revived Progressive Party.

Endorsed by a broad left-wing coalition that included farmers, organized labor, socialists, women, and African Americans, La Follette stumped the country, delivering passionate campaign speeches in which he railed against big business and defended the rights of workers and consumers

In the 1924 election, Fightin' Bob received nearly five million votes, the most ever for a Progressive presidential candidate. However, he carried only his home state of Wisconsin and its 13 electoral votes. Fightin' Bob La Follette died the following year, but his supporters continued to demand fundamental reforms in American society.