Complex sentence: Though both Bell and Beckenridge were unable to capture as many popular votes as the two main presidential candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, this election would mark the first time any third party rce in a US presidential election.
Split into simpler sentences: Though both Bell and Beckenridge were unable to capture as many popular votes as the two main presidential candidates. Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, this election would mark the first time any third party received more electoral votes than one of the major candidates in a US presidential election.