Martin Van Buren was elected unanimously to the Democratic presidential nomination, mostly at the behest of the retiring President Jackson. Opposition to Jackson developed around the Whig party. They were not able to nominate one national candidate so instead nominated regional ones with the hope that they would deny Van Buren a majority and throw the election to House of Representatives.
For the first time the issue of slavery became important in the campaign. Van Buren attempted to keep both the South and North happy. He claimed that the Congress had the right to outlaw slavery in the District of Columbia. But he personally opposed such a move. Van Buren's major opponent was William Henry Harrison. Harrison was a strong supporter of federal money for internal improvements, which gave the Harrison strong support in the West. In addition Harrison promised to be willing to reopen the Bank of the US if economic conditions warranted it. Van Buren maintained Jackson's staunch opposition to the Bank. In the end the superior organization of the Democrats determined the election in favor of Van Buren.
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