Electoral history of Abraham Lincoln
Elections featuring President of the US
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This is the electoral history of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln served one term in the United States House of Representatives from Illinois (1847–1849). He later served as the 16th president of the United States (1861–1865).[1]
Illinois House of Representatives
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Edmund D. Taylor | 1,127 | 13.55 | |
| Nonpartisan | John T. Stuart | 991 | 11.92 | |
| Nonpartisan | Achilles Morris | 945 | 11.37 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Cartwright | 815 | 9.80 | |
| Nonpartisan | Archer G. Herndon | 806 | 9.69 | |
| Democratic? | William Carpenter | 774 | 9.31 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Dawson | 717 | 8.62 | |
| Nonpartisan | Abraham Lincoln | 657 | 7.90 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas M. Neale | 571 | 6.87 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard Quinton | 485 | 5.83 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zachariah Peters | 214 | 2.57 | |
| Nonpartisan | Edward Robinson | 169 | 2.03 | |
| Nonpartisan | William Kirkpatrick | 44 | 0.53 | |
| Total votes | 8,315 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Party | John Dawson | 1,390 | 16.22 | |
| Whig | Abraham Lincoln | 1,376 | 16.06 | |
| Democratic | William Carpenter | 1,170 | 13.65 | |
| Whig | John T. Stuart (incumbent) | 1,164 | 13.58 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard Quinton | 1,038 | 12.11 | |
| White Party | Andrew McCormick | 694 | 8.10 | |
| Nonpartisan | William Alvey | 613 | 7.15 | |
| White Party | Thomas M. Neale | 514 | 6.00 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shadrick J. Campbell | 192 | 2.24 | |
| Independent? | James Shepherd | 154 | 1.80 | |
| Whig? | James Baker | 130 | 1.52 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Durley | 92 | 1.07 | |
| Nonpartisan | William Kendall | 42 | 0.49 | |
| Total votes | 8,569 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Abraham Lincoln (incumbent) | 1,716 | 9.39 | |
| Whig | William F. Elkin | 1,694 | 9.27 | |
| Whig | Ninian W. Edwards | 1,659 | 9.08 | |
| Whig | John Dawson (incumbent) | 1,641 | 8.98 | |
| Harrison Party | Daniel Stone | 1,438 | 7.87 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robert L. Wilson | 1,353 | 7.40 | |
| Whig | Andrew McCormick | 1,306 | 7.14 | |
| Democratic | John Calhoun | 1,278 | 6.99 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacob M. Early | 1,194 | 6.53 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard Quinlon | 1,137 | 6.22 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Winn | 972 | 5.32 | |
| Democratic? | Aaron Vandiver | 922 | 5.04 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Mann | 913 | 4.99 | |
| Democratic | George Power | 905 | 4.95 | |
| Anti-Junto Whig | James Baker | 101 | 0.55 | |
| Nonpartisan | John L. Thompson | 38 | 0.21 | |
| Nonpartisan | Yancy | 12 | 0.07 | |
| Total votes | 18,279 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Abraham Lincoln (incumbent) | 1,803 | 8.87 | |
| Whig | Ninian W. Edwards (incumbent) | 1,779 | 8.75 | |
| Whig | Edward Dickinson Baker | 1,745 | 8.58 | |
| Democratic | John Calhoun | 1,711 | 8.41 | |
| Whig | William F. Elkin (incumbent) | 1,688 | 8.30 | |
| Whig | John Dawson (incumbent) | 1,614 | 7.94 | |
| Whig | Andrew McCormick (incumbent) | 1,569 | 7.72 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas J. Vance | 1,537 | 7.56 | |
| Nonpartisan | Moses K. Anderson | 1,506 | 7.41 | |
| Democratic | Harry Riggin | 1,318 | 6.48 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Skinner | 1,222 | 6.01 | |
| Anti-Junto Party | Davis Robinson | 1,167 | 5.74 | |
| Nonpartisan | Francis Reegnier | 1,069 | 5.26 | |
| Anti-Junto Whig | Wharton Ransdell | 228 | 1.12 | |
| Anti-Junto Whig | William Hacknay | 198 | 0.97 | |
| Anti-Junto Whig | James Baker | 182 | 0.89 | |
| Total votes | 20,336 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | James M. Bradford | 1,859 | 12.13 | |
| Whig | James N. Brown | 1,857 | 12.12 | |
| Whig | John Darneille | 1,852 | 12.08 | |
| Whig | Josiah Francis | 1,846 | 12.05 | |
| Whig | Abraham Lincoln (incumbent) | 1,844 | 12.03 | |
| Democratic | John Calhoun (incumbent) | 1,266 | 8.26 | |
| Democratic | Jesse B. Thomas, Jr. | 1,241 | 8.10 | |
| Democratic | James W. Barrett | 1,211 | 7.90 | |
| Democratic | John Cooper | 1,175 | 7.67 | |
| Democratic | Moses K. Anderson | 1,174 | 7.66 | |
| Total votes | 15,325 | 100.0 | ||
United States House of Representatives
1842: Despite aspirations for the congressional office, Lincoln did not actively run for the Whig Party nomination; as a delegate to the Whig nominating convention, Lincoln helped cut a deal that would give John J. Hardin the nomination in 1842, Edward Dickinson Baker the nomination in 1844 and Lincoln the nomination in 1846.[5][6][7]
1846 elections
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Abraham Lincoln | 6,340 | 55.53 | |
| Democratic | Peter Cartwright | 4,829 | 42.29 | |
| Liberty | Elihu Walcott | 249 | 2.18 | |
| Total votes | 11,418 | 100.0 | ||
| Whig hold | ||||
Illinois House of Representatives
1855 US Senate election
The election was held on February 8, 1855,[14][15][16] for a term starting in March 1855.
- Note: At this time, U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislatures, not by vote of the people
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Round 8 | Round 9 | Round 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Shields, Democrat | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 42 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abraham Lincoln, Whig | 45 | 44 | 41 | 38 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 27 | 15 | 0 |
| Lyman Trumbull, Democrat | 5 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 35 | 51 |
| William B. Ogden, Democrat | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel A. Matteson, Democrat | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 46 | 47 | 47 |
| William Kellogg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gustavus Koerner | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyrus Edwards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Orlando B. Ficklin, Democrat | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William A. Denning | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin P. Sweet | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Archibald Williams, Whig | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| J. Young Scammon, Whig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Orville H. Browning, Whig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John A. Logan, Democrat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John A. McClernand, Democrat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
51 votes needed for election
- Candidate won that Round of voting
- Candidate won Senate seat
Note: Five "anti-Nebraska" Democrats (i.e. opposed to the Kansas–Nebraska Act) voted for Trumbull rather than vote for Lincoln, a Whig. When pro-Nebraska Democrats were unable to reelect Shields, they switched their allegiance to Matteson, who had no stance on the Act. Lincoln then withdrew and threw his support to Trumbull, so that an anti-Nebraska candidate would be assured victory.[14][15]
1856 presidential election
Vice presidential nomination for the Republican Party
- William Lewis Dayton: 523 (64.73%)
- Abraham Lincoln: 110 (13.61%)
- Nathaniel Prentice Banks: 46 (5.69%)
- David Wilmot: 43 (5.32%)
- Charles Sumner: 35 (4.33%)
- Jacob Collamer: 15 (1.86%)
- John Alsop King: 9 (1.11%)
- Samuel C. Pomeroy: 8 (0.99%)
- Thomas Ford: 7 (0.87%)
- Henry Charles Carey: 3 (0.37%)
- Cassius M. Clay: 3 (0.37%)
- Joshua R. Giddings: 2 (0.25%)
- Whitfield Johnson: 2 (0.25%)
- Aaron Pennington: 1 (0.12%)
- Henry Wilson: 1 (0.12%)
- Wyatt Gauger. 1(0.8%)
1858 US Senate election
- Note: At this time, U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislatures, not by vote of the people
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stephen A. Douglas (inc.) | 54 | 54.00 | ||
| Republican | Abraham Lincoln | 46 | 46.00 | ||
| Majority | 8 | 8.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
1860 presidential election
Republican Party nomination
| Nominee | Home State | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd "corrected" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William H. Seward | New York | 173.5 | 184.5 | 180 | 111.5 |
| Abraham Lincoln | Illinois | 102 | 181 | 231.5 | 349 |
| Simon Cameron | Pennsylvania | 50.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Salmon P. Chase | Ohio | 49 | 42.5 | 24.5 | 2 |
| Edward Bates | Missouri | 48 | 35 | 22 | 0 |
| William L. Dayton | New Jersey | 14 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| John McLean | Ohio | 12 | 8 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Jacob Collamer | Vermont | 10 | 0 | - | - |
| Benjamin F. Wade | Ohio | 3 | 0 | - | - |
| John M. Read | Pennsylvania | 1 | 0 | - | - |
| Charles Sumner | Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | - | - |
| John C. Fremont | California | 1 | 0 | - | - |
| Cassius M. Clay | Kentucky | - | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Upon seeing how close Lincoln was to the 233 votes needed after the third ballot, a delegate from Ohio switched 4 votes from Chase to Lincoln. This triggered an avalanche towards Lincoln with a final count of 364 votes out of 466 cast.[17]
General election
| Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Popular vote(a) | Electoral vote |
Running mate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Vice-presidential candidate | Home state | Electoral vote | ||||
| Abraham Lincoln | Republican | Illinois | 1,865,908 | 39.8% | 180 | Hannibal Hamlin | Maine | 180 |
| John C. Breckinridge | Southern Democratic | Kentucky | 848,019 | 18.1% | 72 | Joseph Lane | Oregon | 72 |
| John Bell | Constitutional Union/Whig | Tennessee | 590,901 | 12.6% | 39 | Edward Everett | Massachusetts | 39 |
| Stephen A. Douglas | Northern Democratic | Illinois | 1,380,202 | 29.5% | 12 | Herschel Vespasian Johnson | Georgia | 12 |
| Other | 531 | 0.0% | — | Other | — | |||
| Total | 4,685,561 | 100% | 303 | 303 | ||||
| Needed to win | 152 | 152 | ||||||
Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1860 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005.
(a) The popular vote figures exclude South Carolina where the Electors were chosen by the state legislature rather than by popular vote.
1864 presidential election
Republican Party nomination
| Presidential ballot | ||
| Ballot | 1st before shifts | 1st after shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln | 484 | 506 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 22 | 0 |
General election
| Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Popular vote(a) | Electoral vote(a), (b) |
Running mate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Vice-presidential candidate | Home state | Electoral vote(a), (b) | ||||
| Abraham Lincoln | National Union(c) | Illinois | 2,218,388 | 55.0% | 212 | Andrew Johnson(c) | Tennessee | 212 |
| George Brinton McClellan | Democratic | New Jersey | 1,812,807 | 45.0% | 21 | George Hunt Pendleton | Ohio | 21 |
| Other | 692 | 0.0% | — | Other | — | |||
| Total | 4,031,887 | 100% | 233 | 233 | ||||
| Needed to win | 117 | 117 | ||||||
Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1864 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005.
(a) The states in rebellion did not participate in the election of 1864.
(b) One Elector from Nevada did not vote
(c) Andrew Johnson had been a Democrat, and after 1869 was a Democrat. The Republican Party called itself the National Union Party to accommodate the War Democrats in this election.
See also
- Lincoln and Liberty, Lincoln's 1860 campaign song