In 1848, the Free Soil Party nominated its first presidential election candidate, Martin Van Buren which received just over 10% of the total votes. Though the party received only 10% of the vote in the election that year, the Democratic candidate in New York weakened and it contributed to the election of the Whig candidate General Zachary Taylor as president which was also opposed to slavery and its expansion to western territories. It is clear that by receiving 10% of the votes the anti-slavery platform had captured Americans attention.
