1832 United States elections

Summary

The 1832 United States elections elected the members of the 23rd United States Congress. Taking place during the Second Party System and a political conflict over the re-authorization of the Second Bank of the United States, the elections were contested between Andrew Jackson's Democratic Party and opponents of Jackson, including the National Republicans. Though the Democrats retained the presidency and the House, they lost their Senate majority. The Anti-Masonic Party also fielded the first notable presidential candidacy from a third party.[3]

1832 United States elections
1830          1831          1832          1833          1834
Presidential election year
Incumbent presidentAndrew Jackson (Democratic)
Next Congress23rd
Presidential election
Partisan controlDemocratic hold
Popular vote marginDemocratic +16.8%
Electoral vote
Andrew Jackson (D)219
Henry Clay (NR)49
1832 United States presidential election in Maine1832 United States presidential election in New Hampshire1832 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1832 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1832 United States presidential election in Connecticut1832 United States presidential election in New York1832 United States presidential election in Vermont1832 United States presidential election in New Jersey1832 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania1832 United States presidential election in Delaware1832 United States presidential election in Maryland1832 United States presidential election in Virginia1832 United States presidential election in Ohio1832 United States presidential election in Indiana1832 United States presidential election in Illinois1832 United States presidential election in Kentucky1832 United States presidential election in Tennessee1832 United States presidential election in North Carolina1832 United States presidential election in South Carolina1832 United States presidential election in Georgia1832 United States presidential election in Alabama1832 United States presidential election in Mississippi1832 United States presidential election in Louisiana1832 United States presidential election in Missouri
1832 presidential election results. Blue denotes states won by Jackson, light yellow denotes state won by Clay, teal denotes states won by Floyd, and orange denotes states won by Wirt. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.
Senate elections
Overall controlAnti-Jacksonian gain
Seats contested18 of 52 seats[1]
Net seat changeAnti-Jacksonian +1[2]
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contestedAll 240 voting members
Net seat changeDemocratic +17[2]

In the presidential election, Democratic President Andrew Jackson easily defeated National Republican Senator Henry Clay from Kentucky.[4] Anti-Masonic candidate William Wirt received 7% of the popular vote, the strongest popular vote showing by a third party up to that point, while Nullifier John Floyd was the first third-party candidate to win electoral votes.[4] Jackson was the last president to win a second term until Abraham Lincoln won a second term in 1864. The first presidential nominating conventions took place during this election.[3] Also, for the first time, every state but South Carolina chose its presidential electors via statewide popular vote.

Following the 1830 census, the House increased in size, adding 27 seats. Opponents of Jackson maintained the same number of seats, but the Democrats won several seats, increasing their majority.[5]

In the Senate, the anti-Jackson faction won moderate gains, taking the majority in the Senate.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Not counting special elections.
  2. ^ a b Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
  3. ^ a b "Presidential elections". History.com. History Channel. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b "1832 Presidential Election". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.