The William Blount faction of Tennessee politics wanted
to nominate Jackson for the Presidency soon after his return from
Florida. The faction convinced the legislature to back Jackson.
To groom him for higher office, the Blount group ran him for the
U.S. Senate again–defeating the current leader of the Sevier faction
as an added bonus. Jackson won by a vote in the legislature, and
he set off for Washington again.
Jackson's service in the Senate–twenty-six years after
his first term in that body–showed that he had gained little knowledge
of the political process but had measurably advanced in political
ability. He quietly mended his relationships with several key Senators and
worked behind the scenes to advance his Presidential quest.
Jackson's candidacy for President gained several key backers early
on. Pennsylvania signed on and other key states in the North and
South also signaled their support. Jackson's appeal was almost universal:
he stood as an example of the everyman, an orphan who overcame
humble beginnings in the backwoods of the Carolinas to became a
self-made businessman and war hero. Jackson faced two main opponents:
John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts and William H. Crawford of
Virginia, who had been seeking the Presidency since 1816. Others,
such as Henry Clay of Kentucky, were also-rans. In 1823, Crawford
suffered a stroke, and though it initially looked like he might
drop out of the race, he ended up persevering.
In the fall of 1824, Jackson decisively won a plurality
of the election, with his 152,901 votes topping Adams's 114,023,
Clay's 47,217, and Crawford's 46,979. None of the candidates, however, won
a majority in the Electoral College–Jackson earned ninety-nine votes,
Adams eighty-four, Crawford forty-one, Clay thirty-seven–and the
election was thrown into the House of Representatives as the Twelfth
Amendment dictates. In this scenario, each state delegation received
one vote and the winner had to receive a majority of thirteen states.
Clay, as the fourth candidate, was eliminated.
A frantic behind-the-scenes battle for the Presidency
began. Every candidate and his supporters buttonholed members of
Congress and crusaded in the press to win the election. To receive
Clay's support, Adams secretly promised Clay a position as Secretary
of State. Jackson tried making similar deals with Crawford, and
Clay's supporters even floated a similar deal with Jackson–even though
Clay had made his deal with Adams. In January, Clay announced his
support of Adams, denying that he had been promised anything in
return.
On February 9, 1825, the voting in the House began. Adams
held twelve states, Jackson had seven and Crawford held four. Crawford positioned
himself as the swing candidate, and New York held firm as the swing
state. Adams won the election on the first ballot, though, when
a single delegate in New York switched to Adams.
Even though Jackson lost the presidency despite winning
the plurality of the popular and electoral vote, he took his loss
in stride–until Adams announced Clay's appointment. Jackson exploded
in rage labeling Clay the "Judas of the West" and railing against
the "corrupt bargain" that had been struck. Jackson quickly set
out to form an opposition party to the Adams administration. John
C. Calhoun, the elected Vice President, threw his support to Jackson
soon after the "corrupt bargain" was announced. The new coalition formed
a Washington newspaper, the Telegraph, to further
their cause. Jackson returned to Tennessee to prepare for the 1828
election. The Tennessee legislature nominated him for the Presidency again,
and his campaign was off.
Jackson resigned from the Senate and began working full-time
to defeat Adams. Jackson established himself as a moderate on almost all
subjects, from the tariff to internal improvements. Martin Van Buren
later decided to join the new team, bringing the Crawford wing
of the party on board. The swelling group became known as the Democratic
Party.
The upcoming Presidential race would be unlike any other
race before it. It would be dirty and personal, perhaps the dirtiest
election in the history of American politics. Jackson's resolve
only strengthened as Adams's newspapers began to spread gossip
about Jackson's "immoral" wife. Jackson's party shot back with
information that President Adams had served as a pimp for the Czar
of Russia while he had served as minister there. Jackson's history
in the military came under scrutiny, and stories were widely circulated about
his dictatorial style and the executions of six of his militiamen for
charges such as desertion. Furthermore, discovery that Jackson was
a Mason almost sunk his candidacy in New York, as a widespread
anti-Mason movement had begun to take root in that state. Jackson's
friends in Congress passed a protective tariff act, which garnered
Jackson votes in the Northeast and West.
When the results came in after election day in 1828, Jackson
had widened his margin of victory over Adams, winning more than 650,000
votes to Adams's 500,000. Jackson also won 178 electoral votes
to Adams's 83. The election had clearly captivated the American
people like never before, as the number of voters had almost quadrupled
since the 1824 election.
Despite his political victory, Jackson soon suffered a
devastating personal loss. One month after the election, his wife,
Rachel, died unexpectedly of a heart seizure. She was buried on
Christmas Eve, and Jackson refused to leave the house for weeks
afterward. He left for Washington in mid-January to start his term
with a broken heart.
