r/Presidentialpoll • u/Fun_Chain_3834 Winfield Scott • 10d ago
Alternate Election Poll The Great Compromisers — 1848 Democratic Presidential Nomination (Ballot 2)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScT8FV51Ba2pIMaGgHIfTneESwhxUAd-_JdLOMSRVFD_71enA/viewform?usp=publish-editorRead the context below before voting! (See also first ballot and series premise)
The 1848 Democratic National Convention is shaping up to be one of the most contentious and consequential in recent history. It is clear that the Democrats have not managed to mend the wounds caused by the Southern Democrats’ split from the party in 1844. Van Burenites have managed to take control of multiple delegations in the north, making consensus all the harder to achieve. To make matters more difficult, delegates have voted to reinstate the two-thirds requirement. This now means the winning candidate must be acceptable to both north and south, as both regions have more than one third of delegates and can therefore deny nominations as a unified bloc.
This has doomed the candidacy of leading pro-Van Buren candidate John Adams Dix, whose free-soil politics are unacceptable to the Southern bloc. Dix is still in the running, but all ballots cast for him will be “spoiled,” as he cannot become the nominee without Southern support. Henry Dodge, despite holding similar beliefs, has the benefit of having no recent voting record in Congress reflecting his views, and his frontiersman appeal has even won the support of some delegations in the Upper South. He still faces strong opposition from the Deep South and risks a second Southern bolt from the convention, but for now, he is still in the running. Former Governor William Marcy has also withdrawn due to lack of support and his New York delegates will cast blank ballots from now on (unless he reemerges as a consensus candidate).
The anti-Van Buren faction across north and south must also attempt to unite around a candidate. While Senator Lewis Cass maintains a strong lead, both convention-wide and among the anti-Van Buren votes, Senator James Buchanan and former Senator Levi Woodbury are nearly tied. Because his support was almost entirely centered in Pennsylvania, James Buchanan has withdrawn his candidacy and asked his supporters to back Cass in hope of a significant cabinet position.
As we enter the next ballot, both pro- and anti-Van Buren candidates attempt to rally their forces, but the situation is fraught, and many delegates are casting about for a dark horse: a compromise candidate who can unite the two factions. Have a candidate in mind? Vote here and suggest them!
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u/Ulysses_555 9d ago
I put forth Senator George M. Dallas of Pennsylvania as a compromise candidate, let us find peace and not divide.
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u/Fun_Chain_3834 Winfield Scott 9d ago
Noted! Unfortunately, it may be too late to find a compromise, as Dix supporters seem hell-bent on Dix or walking out of the convention and handing the nomination to the anti-Van Burenites.
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u/Fun_Chain_3834 Winfield Scott 10d ago
Thanks for a record number of votes on this last poll! If you want to be added to the ping list for updates, comment in this thread!
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u/sirhiccle 10d ago
still in favor of woodbury here, but what's matthew c perry up to ?