McKinley and Hanna both agreed that the best strategy would be to conduct a "front porch" campaign. With Bryan's powerful oratory skills, McKinley realized he would be overshadowed as he confided to Hanna, "I have to think when I speak." (see "The Times Looks Back: Presidential Elections, 1896-1996"). Additionally McKinley felt it was undignified to go about campaigning for the presidency. So almost daily McKinley addressed the press as well as thousands of supporters who showed up outside his home in Canton, Ohio. His speeches were simple and they stressed the same message: only the Republicans could return the country to prosperity. Through the use of the telegraph and the telephone, McKinley kept in constant contact with Hanna, who was busily raising funds for the campaign. Because of Hanna's close ties to business leaders, he collected enormous sums from leading industrialists and financiers. The idea of Democrats running on a silver platform aided Hanna's fundraising efforts. Wealthy Americans were terrified by the prospect of weakening the value of the dollar. In addition to raising funds, Hanna strengthened McKinley's base of support by launching an all out media campaign. McKinley appeared on signs, posters, and leaflets everywhere. Theodore Roosevelt, never an admirer of Hanna, commented "Hanna marketed McKinley like a patent medicine." (see "1896: The Republican Party") Nevertheless, Mark Hanna was successful in organizing the campaign by using the mass media, thus setting an example for the future.
In the meantime, William Jennings Bryan with amazing energy was busy traveling by rail and making speeches to thousands of people all across the country. Not since Stephen A. Douglas and the election of 1860 had a presidential candidate campaigned nation-wide on his own behalf (see "The Times Looks Back: Presidential Elections, 1896-1996") A deeply religious man, Bryan gave stirring speeches resembling a revivalist at a camp meeting. While he spoke in favor of the working class his style did not always appeal to some voters. Hanna cleverly underscored the doubts and fears about Bryan by portraying him as a radical who would ruin the system of capitalism. As a result employers warned their workers that a vote for Bryan meant loss of jobs.
McKinley's well-run campaign, orchestrated by Mark Hanna, persuaded a majority of Americans to vote for the Republicans. While McKinley remained at home, Hanna raised the necessary funding for the Republican campaign. He successfully marketed McKinley to the American people while at the same time preyed upon their fears of radicalism. As a result the Republicans won an overwhelming victory over Bryan and the "silver" Democrats. Once in office the McKinley administration adopted a gold standard and the economy improved substantially. Although historians still debate to what degree Republican policies had on the economy, McKinley received credit for returning the country to prosperity just as promised.
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