Complex sentence: Wilson soundly defeated Lewis in the general election by a margin of more than 49,000 votes, despite the fact that Republican William Howard Taft had carried New Jersey in the 1908 presidential election by more than 80,000 votes.
Split into simpler sentences: Wilson soundly defeated Lewis in the general election by a margin of more than 49,000 votes. But Republican William Howard Taft had carried New Jersey in the 1908 presidential election by more than 80,000 votes.