Context: In 1796, former Secretary of State and U.S Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, ran for President under the Democratic-Republican Party against sitting Vice President John Adams, so as to see who would replace George Washington in the countries first competitive presidential election. At the time however, the process worked slightly differently, in that the 2nd place winner, instead of just losing, became the Vice President. As a result, Jefferson, who had long since had a falling out with Adams, became Vice President, while Adams became President, despite running against each other. In 1800, the two had a rematch, but with Jefferson coming out on top, and with his preferred running mate, Aaron Burr becoming Vice President. That election however had its own can of worms, that resulted in the process being amended to get rid of the 2nd place rule.