1828 United States presidential election — 11th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Jackson's 1828 victory over Adams ended the First Party System and established Jacksonian Democracy with greatly expanded white male suffrage.
Key Facts
- Jackson popular vote share
- 55.5%
- Jackson electoral votes
- 178
- Adams electoral votes
- 83
- Voter participation 1828
- 9.5% of Americans
- Voter participation 1824
- 3.4% of Americans
- Election dates
- October 31 – December 2, 1828
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the disputed 1824 election, in which Jackson won a plurality but lost the House contingent election, his supporters accused Adams and Henry Clay of a 'corrupt bargain.' This grievance drove Jackson's allies to organize a new Democratic Party and mount a determined campaign to unseat Adams in 1828.
Held from October 31 to December 2, 1828, the election pitted incumbent President John Quincy Adams of the National Republican Party against Andrew Jackson of the Democratic Party. Both parties were new organizations contesting a presidential race for the first time. The campaign was marked by extensive mudslinging, and several states shifted to popular voting for presidential electors.
Jackson won decisively with 55.5% of the popular vote and 178 electoral votes, marking the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and the transition to the Second Party System. The electorate expanded dramatically under broadened white male suffrage, and historians regard the result as a turning point toward modern American electoral politics with a stable two-party system.
Political Outcome
Andrew Jackson (Democratic Party) defeated incumbent John Quincy Adams (National Republican Party), winning 178 electoral votes to Adams's 83 and 55.5% of the popular vote.
John Quincy Adams, National Republican Party
Andrew Jackson, Democratic Party