1896: William McKinley

( UNKNOWN, Baltimore Sun / January 11, 2009 )

The Sun broke with the Democrats for the first time in 1896 to endorse William McKinley, and Maryland went with it. McKinley favored protectionist policies that benefited industrial states, and in a contrast to previous elections, Maryland sided with them instead of the agrarian South. The Sun was not wild about McKinley, but it could not abide by Democrat William Jennings' Bryan's advocacy for a loose money policy.