Jefferson vs. Burr: The Electoral Tie That Nearly Broke the Republic

What Happened?

The election of 1800 pitted Thomas Jefferson, champion of agrarian democracy and states’ rights, against incumbent John Adams, a Federalist who favored a strong central government and close ties with Britain. The result? A deeply divided electorate, a media landscape filled with vicious personal attacks (yes, mudslinging politics is as old as the republic), and an unintended constitutional crisis.

Under the original rules of the Electoral College, electors did not differentiate between votes for president and vice president—they simply voted for two candidates, assuming that the intended president would naturally come out on top. Big mistake. Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr both received 73 votes, creating an awkward situation where Burr—who was meant to be vice president—suddenly had an equal claim to the presidency.

Since no candidate won an outright majority, the decision went to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation would cast one vote to determine the next president. Cue weeks of political deadlock, as Federalists (who controlled the outgoing House) refused to back Jefferson, hoping instead to strike a deal with Burr.

Enter Alexander Hamilton, former Treasury Secretary and Federalist Party puppet master. While he loathed Jefferson’s politics, he despised Burr even more, viewing him as a power-hungry opportunist with no moral compass. Hamilton led a campaign to convince fellow Federalists that Jefferson was the lesser of two evils, arguing that at least Jefferson had principles, whereas Burr was a political wildcard.

After 35 ballots produced the same stalemate, a deal was struck: Federalist representatives in Maryland, Vermont, and Delaware abstained from voting, effectively giving Jefferson the presidency on the 36th ballot. Burr, his ambitions thwarted, was relegated to vice president—a position he’d soon make infamous (spoiler: he kills Hamilton in a duel three years later).

The chaos of the election led to a major constitutional reform: The 12th Amendment was ratified in 1804, ensuring that electors would cast separate votes for president and vice president, preventing a repeat of the Jefferson-Burr debacle.

Why It Matters

The election of 1800 wasn’t just about Jefferson vs. Adams—it was about two competing visions of America. Would the young nation lean toward a strong central government, an industrial economy, and close ties with Britain, as the Federalists wanted? Or would it embrace states' rights, an agrarian society, and a more radical democratic ethos, as Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans championed? With Jefferson’s victory, the Federalists lost their grip on power, ushering in an era of ‘Jeffersonian Democracy’ that would dominate American politics for decades. Even more importantly, this election proved that power could be transferred peacefully, setting a precedent that would define the legitimacy of American democracy. But perhaps the biggest takeaway? Never trust Aaron Burr. Just ask Alexander Hamilton.