The election of 1828 presented a rematch of candidates Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, with Jackson having lost to Adams in the 1824 election when the House of Representatives made the deciding vote. The 1828 campaign was marred by negativity and mudslinging by both candidates. Adams supporters branded Jackson as an adulterer. Jackson had married Rachel in August 1792. It was later discovered, however, that Rachel’s divorce was not yet been finalized, invalidating her marriage to Jackson. Once the divorce was finalized, Jackson and Rachel remarried legally. Jackson’s opposition attacked Rachel’s character based on her marriage status. The stress aggravated Rachel’s heart problems, a factor that led to her death a few weeks before Jackson’s inauguration. At her burial, Jackson said he blamed the political opposition for her death.

Source: The Mudslinging Campaign of 1828
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