Overview
The Election of 1860 was between four political parties and their candidates: Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party, Stephen Douglas of the Northern Democratic Party, John C. Breckinridge of the southern Democratic Party, and John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party.
Each candidate was chosen for a different reason by each respective party. The Republican Party nominated Lincoln as he had few enemies and could win a majority due to his gained popularity during the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The Northern Democrats picked Stephen Douglas as he was a prominent politician with the chance to beat the Republicans for northern votes, and the Southern Democrats chose John C. Breckinridge, the current vice president, as their candidate. The Constitutional Union Party nominated the venerated and uncontroversial John Bell as a force for unity.