Henry Clay announced his campaign and received the support of leading Tennessee politicians such asJohn Overton,William Carroll, andFelix Grundy. Grundy, who not a member of a major faction, urged Clay to run for the presidency starting in 1821. Carroll was a member of Andrew Erwin's faction which was in ascendancy.Andrew Jackson wrote to Clay on January 16, 1822, stating that "you will get all the votes in Tennessee in preference to any man whose name has been mentioned".[1]
Overton, whose faction was in decline, came to support Jackson in order to revive his political standing. TheNashville Gazette, the organ of Overton's faction, "took the field openly and boldly" for Jackson.[2]Pleasant Moorman Miller, the leader of the Overton faction in the state house and a supporter ofJohn Quincy Adams for the presidency, suggested that Jackson should run for governor in 1823. Grundy came to also support Jackson.[3]
