The Democratic Republican Caucus nominated James Madison for President on 1/23/1808. The two contenders who lost, James Monroe and George Clinton, continued to campaign as independents, though Clinton was also running for VP on the Madison ticket. The Salem Gazette reported on 1/29/1808 that dissident DRP members of Congress had agreed upon a ticket of Clinton for President and Monroe for VP, but in fact such a ticket only emerged in New York State.

Throughout 1808, the effects of the Embargo Act began to be felt. The initial public support for the act waned as businesses began to fail. Rumors spread of DRP opposition to the Embargo Act, including VP Clinton and NH Governor John Langdon. Langdon responded to the accusations against him on 9/9/1808, supporting the Embargo (printed in the Boston MA Democrat, 9/17/1808).

In the meantime, VP Clinton continued to jockey for position. The Madison campaign was quite annoyed at this, and the newspaper the National Aegis included an editorial on 6/29/1808 that if Clinton did not drop his presidential campaign, the DRP would abandon him as the VP nominee.

Madison supporters in New York State decided to punish Clinton. They held a convention at Fishkill on 7/30/1808 and endorsed James Madison for President and John Langdon (NH's DR Governor) for Vice President. [Federal Republican & Commercial Gazette, 8/19/1808] They took this action even though Langdon was at the head of the DRP slate of Presidential Electors in NH on a Madison-Clinton ticket (Spooner's Vermont Journal, 6/20/1808).

When the Federalist Caucus placed C.C. Pinckney in the field in late summer, the election became a four-way contest. An immediate result of Pinckney's entry into the race was the declining fortunes of VP Clinton. Several New England Federalist leaders had been privately supporting him, partially based on his assumed opposition to the Embargo. That support immediately evaporated. In Virginia, many Federalist leaders were already working for Monroe's campaign; dissident Federalists met just before the election and nominated Presidential Electors pledged to Pinckney.

Newspapers discussed the anomaly of having four candidates. The Connecticut Journal gave its opinion that only one of the four was worthy of the office, specifically James Madison. Its opinion, printed on 10/20/1808, was of little value, as the Federalists controlled the legislature there are were headed to a full slate of Pinckney Electors.

States Choosing Electors by Popular Vote

Ten states chose Presidential Electors by popular vote in 1808. Six chose by the General Ticket (at large): NH, NJ, OH, PA, RI, and VA. Four chose by presidential elector district: KY, MD, NC, and TN. Seven state legislatures chose Presidential Electors: CT, DE, GA, MA, NY, SC, and VT.

Real popular vote contests took place in eight states. Madison, Monroe, and Pinckney faced off in three-way races in NC, OH, and VA. Madison and Pinckney competed against each other in MD, NH, NJ, PA, and RI. Madison ran mostly unopposed in KY and TN, though Federalists made minimal challenges in both states. By the end of the campaign season, VP Clinton had dropped his campaign except in New York State (whose legislature was making the selection).

Madison carried eight of the ten states choosing Electors by popular vote. Pinckney won NH and RI and three districts in NC, all being gains from his 1804 race. Monroe was shut out. The electoral vote result of the popular voting was Madison 88, Pinckney 16. Madison was only one EV short of victory.

For more detail on this race, see my earlier blog entry on the race.

Electoral Vote of 1808