Editing James K. Polk (section)

== Election of 1848 ==
{{Main|1848 United States presidential election}}
[[File:1848 Electoral Map.png|thumb|Results of the 1848 presidential election]]
Honoring his pledge to serve only one term, Polk declined to seek re-election. At the [[1848 Democratic National Convention]], Lewis Cass was nominated. The [[1848 Whig National Convention]] nominated Zachary Taylor for president and former congressman [[Millard Fillmore]] of New York for vice president.<ref name=merry447-448>Merry, pp. 447–448</ref> Martin Van Buren led a breakaway Free Soil group from the Democrats. Polk was surprised and disappointed by his former ally's political conversion and worried about the divisiveness of a sectional party devoted to abolition.<ref name=merry455456>Merry, pp. 455–456</ref> Polk did not give speeches for Cass, remaining at his desk at the White House. He did remove some Van Buren supporters from federal office during the campaign.<ref>Bergeron, pp. 253–254</ref>

Taylor won the three-way election with a plurality of the popular vote and a majority of the electoral vote. Polk was disappointed by the outcome as he had a low opinion of Taylor, seeing the general as someone with poor judgment and few opinions on important public matters.<ref name=merry462-463>Merry, pp. 462–463</ref> Nevertheless, Polk observed tradition and welcomed President-elect Taylor to Washington, hosting him at a gala White House dinner. Polk departed the White House on March 3, leaving behind him a clean desk, though he worked from his hotel or the Capitol on last-minute appointments and bill signings. He attended Taylor's inauguration on March 5 (March 4, the presidential inauguration day until 1937, fell on a Sunday, and thus the ceremony was postponed a day), and though he was unimpressed with the new president, wished him the best.<ref>Bergeron, pp. 254–257</ref>