The Populists were very popular among farmers in the southwest and Great Plains. The party nominated James B. Weaver as their presidential candidate for the 1892 election, and he would later receive 8.5% of the popular vote and win 5 states. In the 1896 presidential election, the party nominated Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan, who supported many of the Populist ideas. To separate themselves from the Democrats, they nominated Thomas E. Watson as their vice-presidential candidate, instead of Democrat pick Arthur Sewall. During this election, the populist party slowly began to merge into the Democratic party. Bryan would later lose the presidency to Republican William McKinley. Although the Populist party nominated candidates in the next three presidential elections, their support heavily dropped as many began to support the Democrats or Republicans, or follow Eugene V. Debs to his new Socialist Party. 