The Several Elections of 1824

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6182314
AutoresRobin Kolodny (0000-0001-6762-4094, Temple University, autor de correspondencia)
Año1996
Volumen23
Número2
Páginas139-164
Fecha de publicación1996-09-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCongress & the Presidency (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0734-3469 • E-ISSN: 1944-1053
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/07343469609507834
OpenAlexW1984577703
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas25

In recent years, political pundits across America were excited by the prospect that Ross Perot's presidential candidacies could prompt a rare event in U.S. presidential elections: the lack of an electoral college majority by any of the three major presidential candidates. Searching for a historical precedent, observers recalled the election of 1824, as this was the last U.S. presidential election decided by the House of Representatives rather than the Electoral College (which failed to produce a majority winner). The standard interpretation of the 1824 elections resurfaced – that it was personality, not issues, that mattered most and that the election was stolen from the popular vote winner. Here, a different interpretation of the 1824 election is offered, one which has implications for contemporary campaigns as well. The 1824 election was fought over issues that were regionally, not nationally, defined and was unique for the presence of four viable candidates. Consequently, a House election is only likely to happen when at least one candidate has a clear regional base, since it is necessary for several candidates to win electoral votes to trigger an election decision by the House of Representatives. In 1824, several elections occurred: a popular election, an Electoral College election, and an election in the House of Representatives. In 1824, the House of Representatives chose the candidate who could assemble a coalition of the broadest national interest

General election · House of Representatives · Interpretation (philosophy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Presidential election · Presidential system · Primary election · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · American History and Culture · Computer Science · Law · Political Theory and Influence · Public Administration