The Whigs opposed against them Henry Clay and Theodore Frelinghuysen.
| The vote for | Polk and Dallas was | 1,335,834, | electoral vote | 170 |
| ” | Clay and Frelinghuysen | 1,297,033, | ” | 105 |
| Polk and Dallas’ majority, | 38,801 | 65 | ||
This was the third time Mr. Clay had been defeated as a candidate for the Presidency, to the great regret of many, even of those who voted against him.
The war with Mexico followed as a consequence of the policy of the United States government, decided upon in this election. Texas had formerly been a part of Mexico, and that country considered its admission into the Union as an act of hostility to herself.
Sixteenth Election, 1848.
The Whigs were successful in this election, owing to a division in the ranks of the Democratic party. The Whigs nominated Gen. Zachary Taylor for President, and Millard Fillmore for Vice-President; the Democrats Lewis Cass for President, and Wm. O. Butler for Vice-President; the Free Soil Democrats—who opposed the extension of slavery—Martin Van Buren for President, and Charles F. Adams for Vice-President.
The vote resulted thus:
| Taylor and Fillmore’s | popular vote | 1,362,024, | electoral vote | 163 |
| Cass and Butler’s | ” | 1,222,419, | ” | 127 |
| Van Buren and Adams’ | ” | 291,678. |
The third ticket secured no electoral votes.