Distribution of votes in the 1840 US presidential election

The 1840 United States presidential was the fourteenth presidential election in US history, and saw the election of the ninth President of the United States. It saw incumbent President Martin van Buren of the Democratic Party run against the Whig Party's William H. Harrison (who had also contested the presidency in 1836). Harrison emerged victorious, with 53 percent of the popular vote, carrying 19 out of 26 states, thus wining almost eighty percent of the electoral college. The victory was short lived however, as Harrison passed away less than one month after his inauguration, and was replaced by his vice president, John Tyler. Tyler's ascendancy to the presidency gradually hurt him politically, as it was seen as a move against Henry Clay. Moreover, Tyler's policies often went against the Whig Party's policies, and he was in turn expelled from the party in September 1841.