The 1804 Presidential Election was President Thomas Jefferson vs Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.

President Jefferson was riding high. Things were going well in the United States and Jefferson’s popularity made him a difficult man to beat.  The war between France and Great Britain had taken a temporary lull, there was peace and prosperity, taxes were lower, and the national debt had been reduced. Also in 1803 Thomas Jefferson’s decision to buy the Louisiana Territory from France was a popular move. As this election would prove and we’d see in the future when things are going well the country usually sticks with the incumbant president.

For the first time there was a nominating caucus to select the presidential candidate. Democratic-Republican congressmen gathered together in February of 1804 and nominated Thomas Jefferson as their presidential candidate and George Clinton to be their vice-president. The Federalist didn’t have a caucus but decided on Charles Cotesworth Pinckney as their presidential candidate with New York Senator Rufus King as their vice-president.  Pinckney had been the vice-presidential candidate with John Adams in 1800.

Charles Pinckney was generally well liked by everyone and well respected. He was also half-deaf and was not an exciting candidate. The Federalists repeated a lot of the charges against President Jefferson that they had in 1800. He was an athiest, he had fathered children with his slave Sally Hemings. His followers denied the latter charge but Jefferson remained silent.

The election results shocked no one. President Jefferson won every state but two {Connecticut and Delaware went for Pinckney} and won the Electoral College with ease – Final totals- President Jefferson 162 and Pinckney 14.  The 12th Amendment had come into effect, a separate Electoral Vote for Vice-President and Jefferson’s choice George Clinton would be the Vice-President. After the crazy 1800 election everyone probably breathed a sigh of relief that the 1804 went smoothly and was rather routine.