The 1864 United States elections were held on November 8, 1864. National Union President Abraham Lincoln was elected to a second term, while the Republicans added to their majorities in Congress. The elections were held during the American Civil War. Lincoln would be assassinated shortly into his second term.
In the presidential election, National Union Party nominee President Abraham Lincoln defeated Democratic nominee former General George B. McClellan.[5] Despite factionalism in the Republican Party and earlier concern about the progress of the war, Lincoln easily carried the popular vote and won the greatest share of the electoral vote since James Monroe won re-election unopposed in 1820. Lincoln's win made him the first president to win re-election since Andrew Jackson, and the first two-term President unaffiliated with the Democratic-Republican Party or the Democratic Party since John Adams. Lincoln formed a bipartisan electoral alliance with War Democrats by selecting Democrat Andrew Johnson as his running mate and campaigning on the National Union ticket, making this the first and to date only election in which a winning ticket was composed of members of two separate parties.
Republicans gained seats in the House of Representatives, making their plurality into a majority.[6]
In the Senate, Republicans gained several seats, and continued to hold a majority.[7]
See also
- 1864 United States presidential election
- 1864–65 United States House of Representatives elections
- 1864–65 United States Senate elections
References
- ^ For the 1864 election, the Republican presidential ticket was labeled as the National Union Party ticket.
- ^ Lincoln won elections held in Louisiana and Tennessee, which collectively had an additional 17 electoral votes, but these electoral votes were not counted by Congress.
- ^ Not counting special elections.
- ^ a b Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
- ^ "1864 Presidential Election". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.