Claim: Theodore Roosevelt was a leader.

The United States presidential election of 1904 was the 30th quadrennial presidential election , held on Tuesday , November 8 , 1904 . Incumbent President and Republican candidate Theodore Roosevelt , having succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of William McKinley in September 1901 , was elected to a term in his own right . During the election campaign , Republicans emphasized Roosevelt 's success in foreign affairs and his record of firmness against monopolies . The nominee of the Democratic Party was Alton B. Parker , Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals . As there was little difference between the candidates ' positions , the race was largely based on their personalities ; the Democrats argued the Roosevelt presidency was `` arbitrary '' and `` erratic . ''   Roosevelt easily defeated Parker , sweeping every region in the nation except the South . In doing so , he became the first President to win a term in his own right after having ascended to the Presidency upon the death of his predecessor . Since then , Presidents Calvin Coolidge in 1924 , Harry S. Truman in 1948 , and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 have done so as well .