Editing Martin Van Buren (section)

===Entry into national politics===
In February 1821, the state legislature [[1821 United States Senate election in New York|elected]] Van Buren to represent New York in the [[United States Senate]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=92–93}} Van Buren arrived in Washington during the "[[Era of Good Feelings]]", a period in which partisan distinctions at the national level had faded.{{sfn|Wilson|1984|pp=26–27}} Van Buren quickly became a prominent figure in Washington, D.C., befriending [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]] [[William H. Crawford]], among others.{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=117}} Though not an exceptional [[orator]], Van Buren frequently spoke on the [[United States Senate chamber|Senate floor]], usually after extensively researching the subject at hand. Despite his commitments as a father and state party leader, Van Buren remained closely engaged in his legislative duties, and during his time in the Senate he served as the chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Finance|Senate Finance Committee]] and the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Judiciary Committee]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=176}} As he gained renown, Van Buren earned monikers like "Little Magician" and "Sly Fox".{{sfn|Cole|1984|p=432}}

Van Buren chose to back Crawford over [[John Quincy Adams]], [[Andrew Jackson]], and [[Henry Clay]] in the [[1824 United States presidential election|presidential election of 1824]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=126–127}} Crawford shared Van Buren's affinity for [[Jeffersonian democracy|Jeffersonian]] principles of [[states' rights]] and limited government, and Van Buren believed that Crawford was the ideal figure to lead a coalition of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia's "[[Richmond Junto]]".{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=129–130}} Van Buren's support for Crawford aroused strong opposition in New York in the form of the People's party, which drew support from Clintonians, Federalists, and others opposed to Van Buren.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=139–140}} Nonetheless, Van Buren helped Crawford win the Democratic-Republican party's presidential nomination at the February&nbsp;1824 [[congressional nominating caucus]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=143–144}} The other Democratic-Republican candidates in the race refused to accept the poorly attended caucus's decision, and as the Federalist Party had all but ceased to function as a national party, the 1824 campaign became a competition among four candidates of the same party. Though Crawford suffered a severe stroke that left him in poor health, Van Buren continued to support his chosen candidate.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=145–146}} In May 1824, Van Buren met with 81-year-old former President [[Thomas Jefferson]] in an attempt to bolster Crawford's candidacy, and though he was unsuccessful in gaining a public endorsement for Crawford, he nonetheless cherished the chance to meet with his political hero.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=146–148}}

The 1824 elections dealt a severe blow to the Albany Regency, as Clinton returned to the governorship with the support of the People's party. By the time the state legislature convened to choose the state's [[Electoral College (United States)|presidential electors]], results from other states had made it clear that no individual would win a majority of the electoral vote, necessitating a [[contingent election]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=151–152}} While Adams and Jackson finished in the top three and were eligible for selection in the contingent election, New York's electors would help determine whether Clay or Crawford would finish third.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=152–153}} Though most of the state's electoral votes went to Adams, Crawford won one more electoral vote than Clay in the state, and Clay's defeat in Louisiana left Crawford in third place.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=156–157}} With Crawford still in the running, Van Buren lobbied members of the House to support him.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=157–158}} He hoped to engineer a Crawford victory on the second ballot of the contingent election, but Adams won on the first ballot with the help of Clay and [[Stephen Van Rensselaer]], a Congressman from New York. Despite his close ties with Van Buren, Van Rensselaer cast his vote for Adams, thus giving Adams a narrow majority of New York's delegation and a victory in the contingent election.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=158, 160–161}}

After the House contest, Van Buren shrewdly kept out of the controversy which followed, and began looking forward to 1828. Jackson was angered to see the presidency go to Adams despite Jackson having won more popular votes than Adams had, and he eagerly looked forward to a rematch.{{sfn|Silbey|2002|p=44}} Jackson's supporters accused Adams and Clay of having made a "[[corrupt bargain]]" in which Clay helped Adams win the contingent election in return for Clay's appointment as [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=164–165}} Van Buren was always courteous in his treatment of opponents and showed no bitterness toward either Adams or Clay, and he voted to confirm Clay's nomination to the cabinet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stoddard|first= William Osborn|date=1887|title=Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren|url=https://archive.org/details/andrewjacksonan00stodgoog|publisher=Frederick A. Stokes|page=[https://archive.org/details/andrewjacksonan00stodgoog/page/n302 284]}}</ref> At the same time, Van Buren opposed the Adams-Clay plans for [[internal improvements]] like roads and canals and declined to support U.S. participation in the [[Congress of Panama]].{{sfn|Cole|1984|p=111}} Van Buren considered Adams's proposals to represent a return to the [[Alexander Hamilton|Hamiltonian]] economic model favored by Federalists, which he strongly opposed.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=163–164}} Despite his opposition to Adams's public policies, Van Buren easily secured re-election in his divided home state in 1827.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=177–178}}