1844 United States presidential election (Whigs)

The 1844 United States presidential election was the 15th quadrennial presidential election, held from Friday, November 1 to Wednesday, December 4, 1844. Whig Henry Clay defeated Democrat James K. Polk in a close contest turning on the controversial issues of slavery and the annexation of the Republic of Texas. As of 2022, this is the most recent presidential election where the election took place on different days in different states.

President John Tyler's pursuit of Texas annexation threatened the unity of both major parties. Annexation would geographically expand American slavery. It also risked war with Mexico while the United States engaged in sensitive possession and boundary negotiations with the United Kingdom, which controlled Canada, over Oregon. Texas annexation thus posed both domestic and foreign policy risks. Both major parties had wings in the North and the South, but the possibility of the expansion of slavery threatened a sectional split in each party. Expelled by the Whig Party after vetoing key Whig legislation and lacking a firm political base, Tyler hoped to use the annexation of Texas to win re-election as an independent or at least to have decisive, pro-Texas influence over the election.

The early leader for the Democratic nomination was former President Martin Van Buren, but his rejection of Texas annexation damaged his candidacy. Opposition from former President Andrew Jackson and most Southern delegations, plus a nomination rule change likely specifically aimed to block him, prevented Van Buren from winning the necessary two-thirds vote of delegates to the 1844 Democratic National Convention. The convention instead chose James K. Polk, former Governor of Tennessee and |U. S. House Speaker, who emerged as the first dark horse nominee. Polk ran on a platform embracing popular commitment to expansion, often referred to as Manifest Destiny. Tyler dropped out of the race and endorsed Polk. The Whigs nominated Henry Clay, a famous, long-time party leader who was the early favorite but who conspicuously waffled on Texas annexation. Though a Southerner from Kentucky and a slave owner, Clay chose to focus on the risks of annexation while claiming not to oppose it personally. His awkward, repeated attempts to adjust and finesse his position on Texas confused and alienated voters, contrasting negatively with Polk's consistent clarity.

Clay called for caution with Texan Annexation, and in a closely contested election, Clay won in a landslide. Clay won the popular vote by a margin of 5.4%. As president, after calls on Clay to answer Texan calls for Annexation, Clay successfully negotiated for Texan Annexation with Mexico.

Source (Popular vote): Source (Electoral vote): (a) The popular vote figures exclude South Carolina where the Electors were chosen by the state legislature rather than by popular vote.

Results by state
Source: Data from Walter Dean Burnham, Presidential ballots, 1836-1892 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1955) pp 247–57.

Close states
States where the margin of victory was under 1%:
 * 1)  Tennessee 0.10% (123 votes) 

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:
 * 1)  New York 1.05% (5,106 votes)  (tipping point state)
 * 2)  New Jersey 1.09% (823 votes) 
 * 3)  Indiana 1.65% (2,314 votes) 
 * 4)  Pennsylvania 1.91% (6,322 votes) 
 * 5)  Ohio 1.94% (6,052 votes) 
 * 6)  Georgia 2.38% (2,047 votes) 
 * 7)  Delaware 2.45% (301 votes) 
 * 8)  Louisiana 2.6% (699 votes) 
 * 9)  Connecticut 4.63% (2,991 votes) 
 * 10)  North Carolina 4.78% (3,945 votes) 
 * 11)  Maryland 4.78% (3,278 votes) 

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:
 * 1)  Michigan 6.03% (3,362 votes) 
 * 2)  Virginia 6.1% (5,819 votes) 
 * 3)  Kentucky 8.18% (9,261 votes)