Presidential Candidate | Electoral Vote | Popular Vote | Pct | Party | Running Mate (Electoral Votes) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
James K. Polk (W) | 170 | 1,337,243 | Democrat | George M. Dallas (170) | |
Henry Clay | 105 | 1,299,062 | Whig | Theodore Frelinghuysen[?] (105) | |
Other elections: 1832, 1836, 1840, 1844, 1848, 1852, 1856 | |||||
Source: U.S. Office of the Federal Register (http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/scores.html#1844) |
Told of his nomination in a letter, Polk penned the reply: "It has been well observed that the office of President of the United States should neither be sought nor declined. I have never sought it, nor should I feel at liberty to decline it, if conferred upon me by the voluntary suffrages of my fellow citizens."
In the end, Polk's policies paid off. On November 5, 1844, Polk defeated Whig party candidate Henry Clay to become the eleventh president of the United States. He won 170 electoral votes to Clay's 105, with a margin of victory was just 38,000 popular votes.
See also: President of the United States, U.S. presidential election, 1844
Source: Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov05.html)
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump