1832 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania

Main article: 1832 United States presidential election

1832 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania

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Nominee Andrew Jackson William Wirt Party Democratic Anti-Masonic Alliance National Republican Home state Tennessee Maryland Running mate William Wilkins [Note 1] Amos Ellmaker Electoral vote 30 0 Popular vote 91,949 66,689 Percentage 57.96% 42.04%

County Results Jackson   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Wirt   50–60%   60–70%

President before election Andrew Jackson Democratic Elected President Andrew Jackson Democratic

The 1832 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place between November 2 and December 5, 1832, as part of the 1832 United States presidential election. Voters chose 30 representatives, or electors to the electoral college, who voted for president and vice president.

Background

Andrew Jackson carried Pennsylvania by overwhelming margins in each of his two previous campaigns in 1824 and 1828. Due to the unpopularity of the National Republican Party in the state, the new Anti-Masonic Party took the leading role in opposition to Jackson in Pennsylvania. They nominated former United States Attorney General William Wirt for president at their 1831 national convention in Baltimore. As their own candidate, Henry Clay, stood little chance to carry the state, Pennsylvania's National Republicans chose to cross-endorse Wirt and the Anti-Masonic candidates rather than risk dividing Anti-Jacksonian voters and allowing Jackson to win by a plurality. ^[1]

The result of the October gubernatorial election encouraged the Anti-Masons, as their candidate, Joseph Ritner, came within 3,000 votes of defeating the Jacksonian nominee. However, in the November presidential election, Jackson handily defeated the "Union ticket" of the Anti-Masons and the National Republicans by a margin of 15 percent. As the intended nominee of the Union ticket, Wirt polled his greatest share of the vote in any state, in spite of his failure to carry Pennsylvania; national partisan polarization hurt the Union ticket, as many German Jacksonians who supported Ritner for governor were unwilling to vote against Jackson in the presidential election. The victorious Democratic electors voted for Jackson as president and William Wilkins as vice president, the state convention having refused to ratify the nomination of Jackson's national running mate, Martin Van Buren. ^[2] It was also the last time to date Union County, Pennsylvania voted Democratic.

Results

1832 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania [3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Andrew Jackson (incumbent)	91,949	57.96%	30
	Anti-Masonic	William Wirt	66,689	42.04%	0
Totals			158,638	100.0%	30

See also

• List of United States presidential elections in Pennsylvania

Notes

1. Although Martin Van Buren was Jackson's running mate nationally, the 30 Pennsylvania electors voted for William Wilkins for vice president

References

1. Vaughn, William Preston (1983). The Antimasonic Party in the United States, 1826-1843. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press. pp. 89–98. ISBN   9780813114743.
2. Vaughn, William Preston (1983). The Antimasonic Party in the United States, 1826-1843. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press. pp. 89–98. ISBN   9780813114743.
3. "1832 Presidential General Election Results - Pennsylvania". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved August 4, 2012.