United States Presidential Election of 1812

Madison re-elected 128 to 89 over DeWitt Clinton as war with Britain approached.

Overview

The first wartime presidential election, held as the United States moved toward declaring war on Britain in June 1812, pitted Madison against DeWitt Clinton, a New Yorker running with mixed Federalist and dissident Republican support. Madison won 128 to 89, losing most of New England but holding the South and West. The election showed partisan competition surviving an international crisis, and the war that followed, including the burning of Washington, dominated Madison's second term.