1852 was an electoral blowout for the Democrats, but it was not an assured victory for them by any means. It takes only a 3-point shift in every state to give the Whigs a victory in the 1852 Presidential Election:
Whigs: 156
Democrats:140
Now, there are other ways for the Whigs to win, which may give different geography to the election
Possible ways for the Whigs to do better :
Daniel Webster dies a couple months early, the North is united around Winfield Scott, he wins the nomination 51 rounds earlier, creating a less bitter and divided Whig Party.
The Democratic nominee isn't a war hero.
The Democrats have a harder time uniting.
Hale dies or otherwise doesn't run, Free Soil either doesn't field a candidate or fields someone radical, and northerners who voted Free Soil go to Scott.
Can President Winfield Scott hold his party together?
