 Benjamin was a supporter of the Whig Party from the time of its formation in the early 1830s . He became increasingly involved in the party , and in 1841 ran unsuccessfully for the New Orleans Board of Aldermen . The following year , he was nominated for the Louisiana House of Representatives . He was elected , though the Democrats alleged fraud : Whig supporters , to obtain the vote at a time when the state had a restrictive property qualification for suffrage , acquired licenses for carriages . A voter did not have to demonstrate that the carriage existed , but his license had to be accepted as evidence of ownership by election officials . The Democratic press blamed Benjamin as the strategist behind this maneuver . In 1844 , the legislature voted to hold a constitutional convention , and Benjamin was chosen as a delegate from New Orleans . At the convention , Benjamin successfully opposed counting a slave as three @-@ fifths of a human being for purposes of representation in state elections , as was done in federal elections . His position prevailed , and slaves were not counted at all for electoral purposes in Louisiana state elections . According to Evans , his " tact , courtesy , and ability to find compromises impressed the political elders in all corners of the state " . 
