James B. A. Robertson - Campaign For Governor

Campaign For Governor

Finally, Robertson’s persistence paid off. In 1918, seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination for the third consecutive time, Robertson defeated the colorful and popular "Alfalfa Bill" Murray. Governor Haskell's popularity and policies had weakened the Republicans, so they posed little threat to Robertson. However, in 1910 a new party had appeared in Oklahoma politics: the Socialist Party of America. Vastly powerful and widely accepted, the Socialist Party during this time was more powerful in Oklahoma than in New York.

For the first time in Oklahoma’s history, the two major parties were joined by a third party in the contest for governor. Three candidates were running for Governor: Democrat Robertson, Republican Horace G. McKeever, and Socialist Patrick Nagle. A major factor in the election turned out to be the infamous Green Corn Rebellion of 1917, which the Socialist Party had helped cause, thus making the Socialists appear to be unpatriotic.Template:Fact=February 2011 Robertson won in a landslide, and his fellow Democrats won considerable majorities in both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate.