The gubernatorial campaign is remembered for the Taylor brothers' relatively light-hearted political
banter and entertaining speeches.
Canvassing together, they spent the first part of each campaign stop "cussing out each other's politics" and telling stories and the second part playing fiddle tunes while the crowd danced.[1] At a stop in
Madisonville, Robert suggested that both he and Alfred were roses, but he was a white rose while Alfred was a red rose. As their respective supporters subsequently wore white and red roses, the campaign became known as the "War of the Roses" (the name also referred to the
15th-century English conflict). Their campaign stops drew massive crowds, ranging from around 6,000 in smaller towns to 25,000 in
Nashville.[1]
There was record
turnout on election day, when Robert Taylor defeated Alfred by around 16,000 votes.[2]
Government