1864 United States presidential election — 20th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Lincoln's 1864 re-election secured Republican control to finish the Civil War and end slavery, making him the first president re-elected since Andrew Jackson in 1832.
Key Facts
- Election date
- November 8, 1864
- Electoral vote margin
- Lincoln 212 – McClellan 21
- Lincoln popular vote share
- 55%
- Previous president re-elected
- Andrew Jackson (1832)
- Confederate states voting
- 0 of 11 seceded states counted
- Vice presidential pick
- Andrew Johnson (War Democrat, Tennessee)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
With the Civil War still ongoing, Lincoln faced internal Republican opposition from Radical Republicans and external Democratic pressure from Copperheads seeking peace with the Confederacy. Union military fortunes had been uncertain through summer 1864, fueling fears of Lincoln's defeat, until General Sherman's capture of Atlanta in September shifted public sentiment decisively toward continuing the war effort.
On November 8, 1864, incumbent President Abraham Lincoln, running under the National Union Party banner with new running mate Andrew Johnson, decisively defeated Democratic nominee General George B. McClellan. Lincoln won 212 electoral votes to McClellan's 21 and captured approximately 55 percent of the popular vote, with no electoral votes cast by the eleven Confederate states.
Lincoln's victory guaranteed he would oversee the Union's final military triumph and the abolition of slavery. However, he was assassinated six weeks into his second term and succeeded by Andrew Johnson, whose lenient Reconstruction policies clashed with the Republican Congress, ultimately leading to Johnson's impeachment by the House in 1868, though he was acquitted in the Senate by a single vote.
Political Outcome
Abraham Lincoln (National Union Party) re-elected president with 212 electoral votes and 55% of the popular vote, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan.
Lincoln's first term under Republican Party; Civil War ongoing with uncertain Union prospects
Lincoln re-elected under National Union Party; Union victory secured; succeeded by Andrew Johnson after assassination