There was pressure on Thomas Jefferson to put together a political campaign and run for a third term as president when the election of 1808 drew closer. He was the clear leader of his party: Its goals had been shaped by his vision for the country.

Jefferson's second term had not been as smooth or peaceful as his first term, however, and there was growing conflict with Great Britain. Jefferson believed that the country was now set on a course that would ensure its long-term success. He wanted to spend his remaining years at his home in Virginia.

Three men vied for the Republican nomination once it became clear that Jefferson would not run a political campaign for a third term: Secretary of State James Madison, Vice President George Clinton, and James Monroe. Some people used this competition to try to persuade Jefferson to change his mind. They wanted him to seek a third term in order to prevent a split in the party he had founded.

Jefferson held firm, however, and made it clear that Madison was his choice as a successor. Ultimately, George Clinton was nominated by the party as Madison's running mate for the campaign.

Madison faced the same Federalist candidate who had challenged Thomas Jefferson in the political campaign of 1804: Charles Pinkney of South Carolina. Jefferson's party again triumphed.

Madison won 122 electoral votes to Pinkney's 44. The party had held the presidency for eight years and ensured its transition to a new president.

It was a clear demonstration that the values and positions of the party mattered as much to the voters as did the personal appeal of Thomas Jefferson. It was also a demonstration of the party's success at transmitting its message to the voters during the political campaign.

After the presidential political campaign of 1808 that elected James Madison, much of the Republican Party's success moved away from the leadership offered by members of Congress as it had existed in the past.

Instead, the split that had resulted in three different men running political campaigns that vied against each other for the presidency reflected a split in the Republican congressional leadership, as well. Each candidate had his own backers in Congress, and the supporters of James Monroe and George Clinton were less willing to work with Madison because he was not "their" candidate.

For this reason, Madison began his presidency facing greater challenges than those Jefferson had encountered during his first months in office. Madison was aware of the importance of ensuring support from Congress, and as a result he tried to please various factions by appointing their nominees to gubernatorial positions, regardless of their skills or abilities.

Jefferson had clearly been the party leader during his presidency. Under Madison, leadership of the party seemed more firmly held by Congress members. Conflict with Great Britain soon made it clear that war was likely; the Federalists pounced on this, proclaiming themselves to be the "party of peace," whereas Madison's Republicans were described as the "war party."

American forces were not adequately prepared for the War of 1812. In the mid-term political campaign elections, many of the older Republicans in Congress had been replaced by new, younger candidates. These younger congressmen had not experienced the Revolutionary War firsthand, so the America they knew was very different from that of men like Jefferson and Madison.

Many of them were Southerners and Westerners, and they ran a political campaign and elected Henry Clay as Speaker of the House. Their focus was on expanding American territory. They had not lived through a war with Great Britain, and as a result, their expectations for the war were optimistic, even unrealistic. Thus, Congress did not act quickly when it came to building up the American Navy or raising taxes to provide funds for the military campaign.