Adams's top choice for the role of vice president was General Andrew Jackson; Adams noted that 'the Vice-Presidency was a station in which  could hang no one, and in which he would need to quarrel with no one.' However, as the 1824 election approached, Jackson jumped into the race for president. While the other candidates based their candidacies on their long tenure as congressmen, ambassadors, or members of the cabinet, Jackson's appeal rested on his military service, especially in the Battle of New Orleans. The congressional nominating caucus had decided upon previous Democratic-Republican presidential nominees, but it had become largely discredited by 1824. Candidates were instead nominated by state legislatures or nominating conventions, and Adams received the endorsement of the New England legislatures. The regional strength of each candidate played an important role in the election; Adams was popular in New England, Clay and Jackson were strong in the West, and Jackson and Crawford competed for the South.