1848 Presidential Election

November 7, 1848 · Jacksonian Democracy · 290 electoral votes, 146 to win

Taylor, a Mexican War hero with no stated politics, won for the Whigs while Van Buren's Free Soil run took 10% and split the New York Democrats, previewing the coming sectional crisis.

Elected

Zachary Taylor

Whig

Electoral vote

163 of 290

Popular vote

47.3%

1,361,393 votes

Turnout

72.8%

The result

Sort by

Zachary Taylor

Whig · 47.30% of votes

163

electoral votes

Lewis Cass

Democratic · 42.50% of votes

127

electoral votes

Martin Van Buren

Free Soil · 10.10% of votes

—

electoral votes

Gerrit Smith

Liberty · 0.09% of votes

—

electoral votes


Zachary Taylor	Whig	Millard Fillmore	163	1,361,393	47.30%	15
Lewis Cass	Democratic	William Orlando Butler	127	1,223,460	42.50%	15
Martin Van Buren	Free Soil	Charles Francis Adams Sr.	—	291,501	10.10%	—
Gerrit Smith	Liberty	Charles C. Foote	—	2,545	0.09%	—

2,878,899 votes recorded for the candidates listed.

Results by state

Sort by

Alabama

Lewis Cass · 50.6% · runner-up Zachary Taylor 49.4%

electoral votes

Arkansas

Lewis Cass · 55.1% · runner-up Zachary Taylor 44.9%

electoral votes

Connecticut

Zachary Taylor · 48.6% · runner-up Lewis Cass 43.4%

electoral votes

Delaware

Zachary Taylor · 51.8% · runner-up Lewis Cass 47.5%

electoral votes

Florida

Zachary Taylor · 57.2% · runner-up Lewis Cass 42.8%

electoral votes

Georgia

Zachary Taylor · 51.5% · runner-up Lewis Cass 48.5%

electoral votes

Illinois

Lewis Cass · 44.9% · runner-up Zachary Taylor 42.4%

electoral votes

Indiana

Lewis Cass · 49.0% · runner-up Zachary Taylor 45.7%

electoral votes

Iowa

Lewis Cass · 50.5% · runner-up Zachary Taylor 44.6%

electoral votes

Kentucky

Zachary Taylor · 57.5% · runner-up Lewis Cass 42.5%

electoral votes

Louisiana

Zachary Taylor · 54.6% · runner-up Lewis Cass 45.4%

electoral votes

Maine

Lewis Cass · 45.9% · runner-up Zachary Taylor 40.3%

electoral votes


Alabama	Lewis Cass	50.6%	9	Zachary Taylor · 49.4%
Arkansas	Lewis Cass	55.1%	3	Zachary Taylor · 44.9%
Connecticut	Zachary Taylor	48.6%	6	Lewis Cass · 43.4%
Delaware	Zachary Taylor	51.8%	3	Lewis Cass · 47.5%
Florida	Zachary Taylor	57.2%	3	Lewis Cass · 42.8%
Georgia	Zachary Taylor	51.5%	10	Lewis Cass · 48.5%
Illinois	Lewis Cass	44.9%	9	Zachary Taylor · 42.4%
Indiana	Lewis Cass	49.0%	12	Zachary Taylor · 45.7%
Iowa	Lewis Cass	50.5%	4	Zachary Taylor · 44.6%
Kentucky	Zachary Taylor	57.5%	12	Lewis Cass · 42.5%
Louisiana	Zachary Taylor	54.6%	6	Lewis Cass · 45.4%
Maine	Lewis Cass	45.9%	9	Zachary Taylor · 40.3%
Maryland	Zachary Taylor	52.1%	8	Lewis Cass · 47.7%
Massachusetts	Zachary Taylor	45.3%	12	Lewis Cass · 26.2%
Michigan	Lewis Cass	47.2%	5	Zachary Taylor · 36.8%
Mississippi	Lewis Cass	50.6%	6	Zachary Taylor · 49.4%
Missouri	Lewis Cass	50.6%	7	Zachary Taylor · 44.9%
New Hampshire	Lewis Cass	55.1%	6	Zachary Taylor · 29.5%
New Jersey	Zachary Taylor	51.5%	7	Lewis Cass · 47.5%
New York	Zachary Taylor	47.9%	36	Lewis Cass · 25.1%
North Carolina	Zachary Taylor	55.2%	11	Lewis Cass · 44.8%
Ohio	Lewis Cass	47.1%	23	Zachary Taylor · 42.2%
Pennsylvania	Zachary Taylor	50.3%	26	Lewis Cass · 46.7%
Rhode Island	Zachary Taylor	60.7%	4	Lewis Cass · 32.7%
South Carolina	Lewis Cass	—	9	—
Tennessee	Zachary Taylor	52.5%	13	Lewis Cass · 47.5%
Texas	Lewis Cass	68.5%	4	Zachary Taylor · 31.1%
Vermont	Zachary Taylor	48.3%	6	Lewis Cass · 22.9%
Virginia	Lewis Cass	50.8%	17	Zachary Taylor · 49.2%
Wisconsin	Lewis Cass	38.3%	4	Zachary Taylor · 35.1%

The Congress it seated

31th Congress

1849–1851

Divided government

Senate

35–25 +2

Democratic control · Democratic–Whig +2 independents

House

113–108 +11

Democratic control · Democratic–Whig +11 independents