Distribution of votes in the 1852 US presidential election

The 17th US presidential election was contested between the Democratic Party's Franklin Pierce, and the Whig Party's Winfield Scott, in the final election where the Whigs competed as one of the major parties in US politics. Incumbent President Millard Fillmore had lost a lot of support among Whigs in the northern states, as many of his policies supported slavery in the southern and western states, and Winfield Scott was eventually elected as the Whig candidate in their national convention in 1852. Franklin Pierce, who was chosen as the Democratic candidate, had very similar policies to those of Winfield Scott, whereas the third party candidate, John P. Hale of the Free Soil Party, staunchly opposed the expansion of slavery in the new territories.

Results

As both major nominees had very similar policies, the race became focused on their personalities, and Franklin Pierce emerged victorious, carrying 27 out of 31 states, and 86 percent of the electoral vote. Despite this landslide victory, Pierce received only 51 percent of the popular vote, compared to the 44 percent earned by Scott, whose anti-slavery reputation had hurt his chances in the south (even though both candidates opposed slavery). Hale took five percent of the popular vote, however this did not return any electoral votes for the Free Soil candidate.