U.S. presidential election, 1864

Summary

The election of 1864 was conducted in the middle of the Civil War, and as such the Confederate states did not participate. The war was taking a heavy toll in terms of lives and resources, and as such incumbent President Abraham Lincoln was seen as vulnerable.

The Lincoln/Johnson ticket ran with the slogan "Don't change horses in the middle of the stream," and over time a series of Union victories culminating in the capture of Atlanta, Georgia by forces lead by General William Tecumseh Sherman restored his popularity. Meanwhile, the absence of the southern states from the election gave Lincoln an enormous advantage over his opponent, and on November 8 he won by over 400,000 popular votes and easily clinched an electoral majority.

Republican Party Nomination

Abraham Lincoln was renominated by the Republican Party, which changed its name for the 1864 election to the 'National Union Party.' Lincoln's nomination was not unanimous, however, as General Ulysses S. Grant captured 22 of the 516 delegate votes. Hannibal Hamlin, who despite his offers to aid the nation in any manner Lincoln saw fit during the war, was not rewarded with renomination. Seeing an opportunity to show a willingness to work with the south, and trying to woo Democrats and those on the border states, the convention nominated Andrew Johnson of Tennessee as Lincoln's running mate over Hamlin, Daniel Stevens Dickinson and Benjamin Franklin Butler.

Democratic Party Nomination

The Democratic Party nominated General George B. McClellan, who at one time had commanded the army in Virginia but had been replaced by Lincoln. McClellan defeated Horatio Seymour and others for the nomination; he and ticketmate George H. Pendleton were nominated under a peace platform - which McClellan himself rejected.

Election Results

For More Information

President of the United States, U.S. presidential election, 1864, History of the United States (1776-1865), Origins of the American Civil War,

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