1864 election: Lincoln vs McClellan

[Kiryan]

Now we know the results of OTL. But in this election i am suggesting, say that McClellan acts more vigorously and ends up attacking Lee at where-ever, and the Civil war is over before or in the early months of 1864, could McClellan stand a chance of beating Lincoln, or could Lincoln be reelected to a second term.

 

[Dave Wilma]

If the war is over there would be new issues such as emancipation and reconstruction. And a different set of candidates, maybe even some former Confederates.

 

[OpnCoronet]

Need further clarification. Where exactly is little Mac in the early part of 1864? Has he captured Richmond, has he invaded other parts of the south? Is Lee and the ANV still blocking his path, etc., etc. ?
For what its worth, from the info and premise of the original post, I would speculated, that Lincoln, being a consumate politician(in the best sense), I, myself, find it difficult to believe McClellan had the necessary political sense or acumen, much less the skills necessary to unseat Lincoln.

 

[Yankeedave]

For McClellan to fight like that he would have to shed his Southern Democrat leanings.

 

[JCM6395]

Lincoln still wins reelection as the man who refused to let the Union disintegrate....McClellan becomes prez in 1868.

 

[Carronade]

The prospect of Lincoln being defeated in 1864 stemmed from the perceived lack of progress in the war. The hypothesis here appears to be that McClellan's vigor contributes to the Union successfully concluding the war, i.e. that Lincoln's policy would have been vindicated - not much of a basis for McClellan or anyone else to formulate a campaign against him.

McClellan may have been personally ambitous and disdainful of the President, but that's hardly a platform to attract public support. Moreover, most of the disagreement between them stemmed from their differences over strategy and McClellan's "bad case of the slows". Our vigorous Little Mac would be on the same page as the President. He certainly wouldn't have been nursing a grudge over being relieved.

If the war was won by 1864, the big issue in the election would be reconstruction, on which McClellan's moderate views might be largely in accord with Lincoln's.