1836 United States presidential election — 13th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Van Buren's electoral majority victory consolidated the Second Party System by absorbing nearly all independent factions into either the Democrats or the Whigs.
Key Facts
- Election dates
- November 3 – December 7, 1836
- Winner
- Martin Van Buren (Democratic Party)
- Whig candidates fielded
- 4
- Pennsylvania margin
- Just over 2 percentage points
- VP contingent election
- Senate elected Richard Mentor Johnson over Francis Granger
- Election number
- 13th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The nascent Whig Party, united primarily by opposition to President Andrew Jackson, lacked sufficient organization to agree on a single presidential candidate. Hoping to deny the Democrats an electoral majority and force a contingent House election, the Whigs deliberately ran multiple regional candidates — Harrison in the North, White in the South, Webster in Massachusetts, and Mangum in South Carolina.
Voting took place from November 3 to December 7, 1836. Incumbent Vice President Martin Van Buren, Jackson's chosen successor, faced four Whig opponents but secured a majority of both the electoral and popular vote. The Whig strategy nearly succeeded, as Van Buren carried the decisive state of Pennsylvania by just over two points. Virginia's electors, however, refused to vote for running mate Johnson, leaving him one electoral vote short of a majority and triggering a contingent Senate election for vice president.
The U.S. Senate elected Johnson vice president over Francis Granger in the contingent election. Van Buren became the third incumbent vice president elected president, a feat not repeated until 1988. Harrison's strong second-place finish positioned him to win the Whig nomination in 1840. By the election's end, nearly every independent political faction had been absorbed into either the Democratic or Whig parties, solidifying the Second Party System.
Political Outcome
Martin Van Buren (Democrat) won the presidency with an electoral majority; Richard Mentor Johnson was elected vice president by the U.S. Senate after falling one electoral vote short of a majority.
Andrew Jackson (Democrat) as President, Martin Van Buren as Vice President
Martin Van Buren (Democrat) as President, Richard Mentor Johnson as Vice President