TN, 1844

[Bo]

Why did Clay win here? This was Polk's home state, and he was elected to Congress from here. Also, Polk was strongly in favor of Texas annexation, which most Southerners back then favored. So, why did he lose TN?

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Tennessee voted for a Whig in every presidential election in which the Whig Party existed.

[Bo]

Tennessee voted for a Whig in every presidential election in which the Whig Party existed.

Why, though? The Democrats seemed much more attractive to Southerners back then as the pro-slavery party and limited govt. party/party of the common man?

[President Mitt]

Clay was in favor of Texas annexation, which gained him votes in Tennessee and North Carolina, but also cost him votes in New York, which ultimately cost him the election.

[Bo]

Clay was in favor of Texas annexation, which gained him votes in Tennessee and North Carolina, but also cost him votes in New York, which ultimately cost him the election.

Yeah, but Polk was also in favor of TX annexation, and more strongly than Clay. Since this was a popular position in TN, by logic Polk should have won the state.

[President Mitt]

Clay was in favor of Texas annexation, which gained him votes in Tennessee and North Carolina, but also cost him votes in New York, which ultimately cost him the election.

Yeah, but Polk was also in favor of TX annexation, and more strongly than Clay. Since this was a popular position in TN, by logic Polk should have won the state.

They both supported it and hence both got and lost support because of it. Just because Polk personally felt stronger about it doesn't gain him any more votes than it would Clay. I don't see how that is "logic" at all.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Tennessee voted for a Whig in every presidential election in which the Whig Party existed.

Why, though? The Democrats seemed much more attractive to Southerners back then as the pro-slavery party and limited govt. party/party of the common man?

The Whigs in the South were not anti-slavery.

Also, the Democrats did improve their showing in Tennessee in 1844, as they did everywhere else.

[Bo]

Clay was in favor of Texas annexation, which gained him votes in Tennessee and North Carolina, but also cost him votes in New York, which ultimately cost him the election.

Yeah, but Polk was also in favor of TX annexation, and more strongly than Clay. Since this was a popular position in TN, by logic Polk should have won the state.

They both supported it and hence both got and lost support because of it. Just because Polk personally felt stronger about it doesn't gain him any more votes than it would Clay. I don't see how that is "logic" at all.

I read that since Clay was more ambiguous about TX annexation than Polk, many Americans (and Southerners) who supported TX annexation might have voted for Polk since they would have felt he was more sincere about it and thus more likely to actually annex TX in the end.

[WillK]

First interesting thing to notice is how incredibly close it was:  123vote difference.
I would be interest to see a geographic distribution of those votes.  

Anyway, there were some strong Whig leaders in Tennessee, most notable John Bell.  
The governor of TN in 1844 was a whig who had defeated Polk in the governor elections of 1843 and 1841 .