James Knox Polk Won The Presidency As A Dark Horse Candidate

James Polk had failed twice in his attempts to be reelected as governor of Tennessee before the 1844 presidential election, first in 1841 when he was voted out of office and again in 1843.

He wasn't supposed to run for president in 1844, but the Democratic National Convention's delegates couldn't agree on a nominee. The Democratic Party did not support Martin Van Buren's quest for a second term as president because of his opposition to the annexation of Texas. The majority of party members thought that the way to defeat Henry Clay was to vigorously support the western expansion. One of the interesting facts about James Knox Polk is after a convention, they eventually decided to compromise by picking a “dark horse” candidate: Polk.

Polk was a relative nobody despite serving in Congress seven times, serving as Speaker of the House once, and serving as Governor once. Henry Clay, his rival, regretted that Democrats had not chosen someone “better deserving of a struggle”. Despite the doubts, Polk faced Henry Clay in the presidential race, and despite the fact that they both garnered 50% of the popular vote, Polk won by 170 electoral votes to Clay's 275.