1.The election of 1848
1.1 The Democratic nomination Shortly after announcing that he would run for a second term President James K Polk was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination the only opposition coming from Lewis Cass of Michigan. Vice President George M Dallas was renominated for Vice President
1.2 The Whig nomination After Polk announced he was running for reelection the Whigs tried courting General Zachary Taylor who refused to run. The Whig nominee then became 1844 nominee Henry Clay who chose Daniel Webster as his running mate
1.3 The Free Soiler nomination A third party, the
Free Soil Party, was organized for the 1848 election to oppose further expansion of
slavery into the western territories. The party was led by
Salmon P. Chase and
John Parker Hale. Former President
Martin Van Buren defeated Hale by a 154-129 delegate count to capture their nomination, while
Charles Francis Adams, the son and grandson of two other presidents, was chosen as the vice presidential nominee.
1.4 The General election campaign From the start Polk was leading both canidates and on election day Polk won reelection in a landslide by 182 electoral votes