1860 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania explained

See main article: 1860 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1860 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Country:Pennsylvania
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1856 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Previous Year:1856
Next Election:1864 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Next Year:1864
Election Date:November 6, 1860
Image1:Abraham Lincoln by Alexander Hesler, 1860-restored (cropped).png
Nominee1:Abraham Lincoln
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:Illinois
Running Mate1:Hannibal Hamlin
Electoral Vote1:27
Popular Vote1:268,030
Percentage1:56.26%
Party2:Democratic (Fusion)
Colour2:1E90FF
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:178,871
Percentage2:37.54%
Map Size:300px
President
Before Election:James Buchanan
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Abraham Lincoln
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1860 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 6, 1860, as part of the 1860 United States presidential election. Voters chose 27 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

The Democratic Party chose its slate of electors before the National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina. Since this was decided before the party split, both supporters of Stephen A. Douglas and supporters of John C. Breckinridge claimed the right for their man to be considered the party candidate and the support of the electoral slate. Eventually, the state party worked out an agreement: if either candidate could win the national election with Pennsylvania's electoral vote, then all her electoral votes would go to that candidate. Of the 27 electoral candidates, 15 were Breckinridge supporters; the remaining 12 were for Douglas. This was often referred to as the Reading electoral slate, because it was in that city that the state party chose it.

Not all of the Douglas supporters agreed to the Reading slate deal and established a separate Douglas-only ticket. This slate comprised the 12 Douglas electoral candidates on the Reading ticket, and 15 additional Douglas supporters. This ticket was usually referred to as the Straight Douglas ticket. Thus 12 electoral candidates appeared on 2 tickets, Reading and Straight Douglas.[1]

Results

1860 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania[2]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanAbraham Lincoln268,03056.26%27
Democratic (Fusion)John C. Breckinridge / Stephen A. Douglas178,87137.54%0
Democratic ("Straight Douglas")Stephen A. Douglas16,7653.52%0
Constitutional UnionJohn Bell12,7762.68%0
Totals476,442100.0%27

Results By County

County! colspan="2"
Abraham LincolnRepublicanJohn C. Breckinridge/Stephen A. DouglasFusionStephen A. DouglasDemocratic

("Straight Douglas")

John BellConstitutional UnionTotal Votes Cast
%%%%
Adams2,72450.06%2,64448.59%360.66%380.70%5,442
Allegheny16,72568.15%6,72527.40%5232.13%5702.32%24,543
Armstrong3,35560.80%2,10838.20%50.09%500.91%5,518
Beaver2,82462.66%1,62135.97%40.09%581.29%4,507
2,50551.87%2,22446.06%140.29%861.78%4,829
Berks6,70941.64%8,84654.91%4202.61%1360.84%16,111
3,05061.48%1,27525.70%2394.82%3978.00%4,961
7,09176.17%2,18823.50%90.10%220.24%9,310
Bucks6,44352.82%5,17442.41%4873.99%950.78%12,199
Butler3,64060.60%2,33238.82%130.22%220.37%6,007
Cambria2,27754.81%1,64339.55%1102.65%1242.99%4,154
Carbon1,75850.97%1,30137.72%36910.70%210.61%3,449
Centre3,02155.07%2,42344.17%260.47%160.29%5,486
Chester7,77158.68%5,00837.81%2631.99%2021.53%13,244
1,82946.67%2,07853.02%00.00%120.31%3,919
Clearfield1,70247.80%1,83651.56%00.00%230.65%3,561
1,73656.88%1,24440.76%722.36%00.00%3,052
Columbia1,87343.17%2,36654.53%861.98%140.32%4,339
5,77965.49%2,96133.56%620.70%220.25%8,824
Cumberland3,59351.71%3,18345.81%260.36%1472.12%6,949
Dauphin4,53162.18%2,39232.83%1952.68%1692.32%7,287
Delaware3,18162.12%1,50029.29%1522.97%2885.62%5,121
Elk40743.76%52356.24%00.00%00.00%930
Erie6,16070.02%2,53128.77%170.19%901.02%8,798
Fayette3,45449.82%3,30847.71%240.35%1472.12%6,933
10769.48%4730.52%00.00%00.00%154
4,15156.37%2,51534.15%6228.45%761.03%7,364
78845.05%91152.09%10.06%492.80%1,749
1,61437.34%2,66561.66%260.60%170.39%4,322
3,08964.52%1,62233.88%551.15%220.46%4,788
Indiana3,91074.07%1,34725.52%00.00%220.42%5,279
1,70459.81%1,13439.80%60.21%50.18%2,849
1,49455.23%1,14742.40%20.07%622.29%2,705
Lancaster13,35267.93%5,13526.12%7283.70%4412.24%19,656
2,93777.86%78820.89%160.42%310.82%3,772
Lebanon3,86865.58%1,91732.50%100.17%1031.75%5,898
Lehigh4,17049.28%4,09448.39%1451.71%520.61%8,461
Luzerne7,30051.76%6,80348.24%00.00%00.00%14,103
3,49456.59%2,40238.91%1873.03%911.47%6,174
1,07764.49%59135.39%00.00%20.12%1,670
3,85559.75%2,54639.46%20.03%490.76%6,452
Mifflin1,70156.53%1,18939.51%832.76%361.20%3,009
84435.21%1,26252.65%29112.14%00.00%2,397
5,82646.18%5,59044.31%5094.03%6905.47%12,615
Montour1,04348.65%78636.66%31114.51%40.19%2,144
Northampton3,83944.02%4,59752.71%1151.32%1711.96%8,722
Northumberland2,42249.46%2,30647.09%971.98%721.47%4,897
Perry2,37157.00%1,74341.90%80.19%380.91%4,160
Philadelphia39,22350.78%21,61927.99%9,27412.01%7,1319.23%77,247
Pike38131.41%83168.51%00.00%10.08%1,213
Potter1,54574.78%52125.22%00.00%00.00%2,066
7,56857.78%4,96837.93%4223.22%1391.06%13,097
Snyder1,67863.25%91034.30%602.26%50.19%2,653
3,21873.07%1,17526.68%10.02%100.23%4,404
Sullivan42946.28%49753.61%00.00%10.11%927
Susquehanna4,47063.62%2,54836.27%20.03%60.09%7,026
4,75478.57%1,27721.10%110.18%90.15%6,051
1,82468.31%81230.41%281.05%60.22%2,670
2,68057.96%1,93241.78%60.13%60.13%4,624
2,28467.67%1,08732.21%40.12%00.00%3,375
Washington4,72453.69%3,97545.18%80.09%911.03%8,798
2,85752.16%2,61847.80%00.00%20.04%5,477
4,88750.33%4,79649.40%130.13%130.13%9,709
1,28650.81%1,23748.87%80.32%00.00%2,531
5,12843.60%5,49746.74%5624.78%5744.88%11,761
Total268,03056.26%178,87137.54%16,7653.52%12,7762.68%476,442

Analysis

Pennsylvania voted for the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, over the fusion ticket. Lincoln won Pennsylvania by a margin of 18.72%. Lincoln's victory was the first of eighteen out of nineteen Republican victories in the state, as Pennsylvania would not vote Democratic again until Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, and would not vote for a different candidate again until Theodore Roosevelt’s third-party bid in 1912.

Pennsylvania in the election was one of the four states that had a fusion ticket for the Democratic Party. The other three states were New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.

The 1860 presidential election in Pennsylvania began a trend in which the state would vote the same as nearby Michigan in presidential elections, as the two states have voted for president in lockstep with each other on all but three occasions since Lincoln's victory – 1932, 1940, and 1976.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Dubin, Michael J., United States Presidential Elections, 1788–1860: The Official Results by County and State, McFarland & Company, 2002, p. 188
  2. Web site: 1860 Presidential General Election Results - Pennsylvania. U.S. Election Atlas. 3 August 2012.