1848  1852 Presidential Election Returns  1856

The Whig Party decided to replace the incumbent President Millard Fillmore on the ballot with General Winfield Scott. Fillmore had become President when Zachary Taylor died. His signature on the Fugitive Slave Act caused a split in his party, a split from which Scott would not be able to recover. The Whig Party nominated Winfield Scott, another hero of the Mexican War, as their candidate. The Democrats decided to nominate former New Hampshire Senator Franklin Pierce, despite the reservations of Senator Pierce! They used the slogan "We Polked you in 1844, we'll Pierce you in 1852 to taunt the Whig Party!" The platforms of the two parties were not too far apart. The Compromise of 1850 was a major issue, and so was the character of the candidates. California had become a free state. The Territories of Arizona and New Mexico were open to slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act was given teeth. Scott had depended on his status as a war hero, but Pierce himself had a bit of war experience, so that failed to win him points. Pierce won in a national landslide, but this is tempered by the fact that voter turnout was low. The election of 1852 marked the end of the Whig Party, which would never again run a candidate for President. UNITED STATES VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 1,605,903 51 254 Scott/Graham + 1,386,418 44 42 Hale/Julian 155,799 5 0 Webster/Jenkins 6,994 0 0 Broom/Coates 2,566 0 0 Troup/Quitman 2,331 0 0 All Other Candidates 277 0 0 ALABAMA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 26,881 61 9 Scott/Graham + 15,061 34 0 ARKANSAS VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 12,173 62 4 Scott/Graham + 7,404 38 0 CALIFORNIA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 40,721 53 4 Scott/Graham + 35,972 47 0 CONNECTICUT VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 33,249 50 6 Scott/Graham + 30,359 46 0 DELAWARE VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 6,318 50 3 Scott/Graham + 6,293 50 0 FLORIDA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 4,318 60 3 Scott/Graham + 2,875 40 0 GEORGIA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 40,516 65 10 Scott/Graham + 16,660 27 0 ILLINOIS VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 80,378 52 11 Scott/Graham + 64,733 42 0 Hale/Julian 9,863 6 0 INDIANA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 95,340 52 13 Scott/Graham + 80,901 44 0 IOWA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 17,763 50 4 Scott/Graham + 15,856 45 0 Hale/Julian 1,606 5 0 KENTUCKY VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 53,494 48 0 Scott/Graham + 57,428 51 12 LOUISIANA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 18,647 52 6 Scott/Graham + 17,255 48 0 MAINE VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 41,609 51 8 Scott/Graham + 32,543 40 0 Hale/Julian 8,030 10 0 MARYLAND VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 40,022 53 8 Scott/Graham + 32,543 47 0 MASSACHUSETTS VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 44,569 35 0 Scott/Graham + 52,683 41 13 Hale/Julian 28,203 22 0 MICHIGAN VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 41,842 50 6 Scott/Graham + 33,860 41 0 MISSISSIPPI VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 26,896 61 7 Scott/Graham + 17,558 39 0 MISSOURI VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 38,817 56 9 Scott/Graham + 29,984 44 0 NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 28,503 56 5 Scott/Graham + 15,486 31 0 Hale/Julian 6,546 13 0 NEW JERSEY VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 44,305 53 5 Scott/Graham + 38,556 46 0 NEW YORK VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 262,083 50 35 Scott/Graham + 234,882 45 0 Hale/Julian 25,329 5 0 NORTH CAROLINA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 39,778 50 10 Scott/Graham + 39,043 49 0 OHIO VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 168,933 48 23 Scott/Graham + 152,523 43 0 Hale/Julian 31,732 9 0 PENNSYLVANIA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 198,562 51 27 Scott/Graham + 179,104 46 0 RHODE ISLAND VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 8,735 51 4 Scott/Graham + 7,626 45 0 SOUTH CAROLINA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King No Popular Vote -- 8 TENNESSEE VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 56,900 49 0 Scott/Graham + 58,586 51 12 TEXAS VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 13,552 73 4 Scott/Graham + 4,995 27 0 VERMONT VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 13,044 30 0 Scott/Graham + 22,173 51 5 Hale/Julian 8,621 20 0 VIRGINIA VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 73,872 56 15 Scott/Graham + 58,732 44 0 WISCONSIN VOTES PERCENT ELECTORAL VOTE Pierce/King 33,658 52 5 Scott/Graham + 22,210 34 0 Hale/Julian 8,814 14 0 SYMBOLS KEY Whig Democrat Other Free Soil Party Winner * Incumbent + Incumbent Party