Chapter 55: Abe Is Elected the 16th President in 1860

For the first time, the November election features four sizable parties with unique platforms and popular candidates: Douglas for the Northern Democrats, Lincoln for the Republicans, Breckinridge for the Southern Democrats, and Tennessee’s John Bell for the Constitutional Unionists.

Given the make-up of the Electoral College, however, neither Breckinridge nor Bell have a chance to win, and Douglas has already lost his Southern support. Then comes another twist, as Lincoln’s name never appears on Southern State ballots, and his popular vote count there is zero!

So the question comes down to whether or not Abe can land enough Electoral Votes in the North to reach the 152 of 303 majority required.

During the run-up, Lincoln, Breckinridge and Bell all leave campaigning to their supporters while Douglas delivers a host of stump speeches. They last until late August, when the Little Giant sees that he cannot win, and, in one of his finest hours, redirects his message at trying to save the Union.

In the end, the Electoral map is sufficiently tilted toward the North to have Lincoln win with 180 votes, while Douglas is able to gain only 12, well short of Breckinridge (72) and even Bell (39).

But the ominous note for the future is that Abe becomes President with only 39.8% of the popular vote, the lowest in history.