A populist party launched in 1892 after the success of populist Senatorial candidates in Kansas and SouthDakota. They received an impressive 22 electoral votes in the 1892 election, but WilliamJenningsBryan would steal their thunder the following election cycle.

In 1896, the party scheduled their convention after both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. They'd believed that both major parties would include the gold standard in their platforms, leaving them free to scoop up support from the silverites. Alas, WilliamJenningsBryan convinced the Democratic Party delegates that silver was the way to go, sparking fervent debate over the merits of cooperation vs. maintaining independence. The People's Party decided to cooperate, Bryan lost the election anyway, and the Party was functionally defunct.