Handy.jpg">Handy.jpg/425px-Theodore_Frelinghuysen_-_Brady-Handy.jpg" width="343" height="484">Theodore Frelinghuysen by Mathew Brady [c. 1855-1865], courtesy of the Library of CongressJohn Tyler’s unexpected ascendancy to the presidency causes both Whigs and Democrats to think and rethink their strategies for the 1844 presidential election. Presumptive candidates Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren prepare to lead their respective parties into the general campaign, but for both, complications arise that threaten their political futures as the ambitious new president makes a priority of bringing Texas into the Union. Dissension in the ranks, rivals for power, and increased sectional tensions all threaten to make 1844 a year that Clay and Van Buren may wish to forget. Source information for this episode can be found at http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com