The Presidential Election of 1860

[CWH1234]

The Vote counts of states during the election of 1860

Total of Electoral:

Abraham Lincoln: 180
John C. Breckinridge: 72
John Bell: 39
Stephen A. Douglas: 12

What are the reasons of the three failed parties that caused Political failure?

 

[CWH1234]

Let me know what you think why the other parties failed?

 

[gentlemanrob]

Well I personally think the separation of the Democratic Party hurt the party overall. John Bell tried to unite what was left of the Whig Party and Know - Nothing Party but by 1860 a majority of the former whigs had switched to either the Republican or Democratic parties.

 

[major bill]

The majority of the electoral were in the northern states. The Democratic party was not offering positions that would allow most of the voters in free states to support them. Note Douglas did not win a single free state and Lincoln did not win a slave state. I my opinion, the Democratic party could not win the presidency without offering the residents of the free states more than they did.

 

[trice]

The majority of the electoral were in the northern states. The Democratic party was not offering positions that would allow most of the voters in free states to support them. Note Douglas did not win a single free state and Lincoln did not win a slave state. I my opinion, the Democratic party could not win the presidency without offering the residents of the free states more than they did.

Lincoln won with 180 Electoral votes, with 152 required to win. It is fairly simple to see how to turn that around: you just need to beat Lincoln in Pennsylvania (27 votes, which Buchanan won in 1856) and reverse one other State (any State at all, or just pick up 2 votes in NJ).

The easiest States to reverse are California (4 votes, Lincoln got 32.3%) and Oregon (3 votes, Lincoln got 36.2%). New Jersey split (7 votes, Lincoln got 48.1% of the popular vote and 4 Electoral votes)

Pennsylvania is hard to do because it is where the Morrill Tariff increase on iron and steel products is most important (along with parts of NJ). Lincoln lost in NJ where there was a fusion ticket against him, but had strong support where the Morrill Tariff was important.

To do that, you probably need a united Democratic Party in the Election instead of the fractured Democratic Party that Yancy, Rhett, and the Fire-Eaters engineered at the Charleston Convention. That Democratic Party has to propose some form of increase in the Tariff if they want to win in Pennsylvania -- in particular they need to address the concerns of the iron-and-steel business in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.