Initially a Federalist like his father, he won election to the presidency as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, and in the mid-1830s became affiliated with the Whig Party. The 1824 presidential election was contested by Adams, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, and Henry Clay, all of whom were members of the Democratic-Republican Party. As no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote, the House of Representatives held a contingent election to determine the president, and Adams won that contingent election with the support of Clay. rank him as a mediocre president who had an ambitious agenda but could not get it passed by Congress. Adams's programs faced opposition from various quarters. The Democrats proved to be more effective political organizers than Adams and his National Republican supporters, and Jackson decisively defeated Adams in the 1828 presidential election. rank him as a mediocre president who had an ambitious agenda but could not get it passed by Congress. Adams's programs faced opposition from various quarters.