and his allies moved quickly to take advantage of the situation and initiated efforts to weaken the governor's authority. In 1811 the territorial legislature voted to move the capital away from Vincennes, a pro-Harrison stronghold, and began a shift in political power from the territorial governor to the delegates in the territorial legislature and its elected officials. John Gibson, the elderly, acting governor, whose territorial duties largely dealt with military affairs, did not challenge the territorial legislature. When Harrison's successor, Thomas Posey, was confirmed on March 3, 1813, Jennings's party in the territorial legislature had become entrenched and began to advance their request for statehood. Jennings ran for reelection to Congress in 1811 against another pro-slavery candidate, Waller Taylor. The campaign was the most divisive in Jennings's career. Taylor derided Jennings as a "pitiful coward" and went so far as to challenge Jennings to a duel, but he refused. Jennings ran on the slavery issue again, fielding his new motto, "No slavery in Indiana". Jennings's supporters tied Taylor, a territorial judge, to the pro-slavery movement. Jennings easily won reelection, thanks to an expanding base of support that included the growing community of Harmonists. Following his reelection, Jennings developed jaundice, an illness often caused by alcoholism, but he recovered. During his third term in Congress, Jennings began advocating that statehood be granted to Indiana, but held off formally introducing legislation until the end of the War of 1812. Jennings ran against Elijah Sparks in his 1814 reelection campaign and easily won. Push for statehood By 1815 Jennings and the territorial legislature were ready to embark on a course for statehood. In December 1815 Jennings's introduced a petition from the territorial legislature to Congress that requested statehood for Indiana. The 1815 census showed the territory had a population exceeding 63,000, more than the minimum requirement for statehood under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The House began a debate on the measure and passed the Enabling Act on April 11, 1816. The act granted Indiana the right to form a government and elect delegates to a constitutional convention that would create a state constitution. The territorial governor, Thomas Posey, expressed concern that the territory was too under-populated to provide sufficient tax revenue to fund a state government. In a letter to President Madison, he recommended that the president veto the bill and delay statehood for another three years, which would allow him to