1864 United States presidential election

The **1864 United States presidential election** was on November 8, 1864. It was the 20th election in the history of the United States. President Abraham Lincoln was the National Union Party candidate. Union Army general George B. McClellan was the Democratic Party candidate. Lincoln won the election with 212 electoral votes. McClellan got just 21 electoral votes.

The election happened during the American Civil War. Lincoln and McClellan both promised to win the war if elected. The candidates had very different opinions on slavery. Lincoln promised to end slavery in the United States, while McClellan did not support ending slavery.

Lincoln thought he would lose the election at first. Some National Union Party supporters thought the party should choose a different candidate. Many people were tired of the war after three years of fighting. Democrats made racist attacks on Lincoln and blamed him for fighting so long to end slavery. Democratic writers called Lincoln an "ape" and a "widow-maker" who cared more about African Americans than ending the war.

The Union Army won a victory in the Atlanta Campaign a short time before the election. Many voters felt Lincoln was responsible for this victory. While McClellan supported the war, other Democrats called the war a "failure." The different opinions in the Democratic Party made McClellan seem like a weak leader. Lincoln won a landslide victory on Election Day. 53% of civilians and 78% of soldiers voted for Lincoln. Many historians share the opinion that voters rewarded Lincoln for leading the Union to victory in the war.

Lincoln was the first president to win two elections since Andrew Jackson. He was the first president to be chosen twice by his party since Martin Van Buren, who ran in 1836 and 1840.

### National Union Party

|style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#B22222; width:200px;"|Abraham Lincoln|style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#B22222; width:200px;"|Andrew Johnson|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="background:#f1f1f1;" colspan="30"|<big>**1864 National Union Party candidates**</big>|||
|style="width:3em; font-size:100%; color:#000000; background:#EA6060; width:200px;"|***for President***|style="width:3em; font-size:100%; color:#000000; background:#EA6060; width:200px;"|***for Vice President***|
|16th President of the United States <small>(1861–1865)</small>|Military Governor of Tennessee <small>(1862–1865)</small>|||

#### Presidential

- Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States from Illinois <small>(1861-1865)</small> <small>_(Presidential candidate)_</small>
- Ulysses S. Grant, commanding general of the Union Army from Ohio <small>(1864-1869)</small> <small>_(Did not want to run)_</small>

#### Vice presidential

- Andrew Johnson, military governor of Tennessee <small>(1862-1865)</small> <small>_(Vice presidential candidate)_</small>
- Hannibal Hamlin, 15th vice president of the United States from Maine <small>(1861-1865)</small>
- Daniel Dickinson, 27th attorney general of New York <small>(1862-1863)</small>
- Benjamin Butler, major general in the Union Army from Massachusetts
- Lovell Rousseau, major general in the Union Army <small>(1862-1863)</small> and former Kentucky state senator <small>(1860-1861)</small>

### Democratic Party

|style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#3333FF; width:200px;"|George B. McClellan|style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#3333FF; width:200px;"|George H. Pendleton|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="background:#f1f1f1;" colspan="30"|<big>**1864 Democratic Party candidates **</big>|||
|style="width:3em; font-size:100%; color:#000; background:#C8EBFF; width:200px;"|***for President***|style="width:3em; font-size:100%; color:#000; background:#C8EBFF; width:200px;"|***for Vice President***|
|4th Commanding General of the Union Army <small>(1861–1862)</small>|U.S. Representative from Ohio's 1st congressional district <small>(1857–1865)</small>|||

#### Presidential

- George B. McClellan, former commanding general of the Union Army, from New Jersey <small>(1861-1862) _(Presidential candidate)_</small>
- Thomas H. Seymour, former U.S. minister to Russia from Connecticut <small>(1854-1858)</small>
- Lazarus W. Powell, U. S. senator from Kentucky <small>(1859-1865) _(Did not want to run)_</small>
- Franklin Pierce, 14th president of the United States from New Hampshire <small>(1853-1857) _(Did not want to run)_</small>
- Horatio Seymour, 18th & 22nd governor of New York <small>(1853-1854, 1863-1864)</small> <small>_(Did not want to run_</small><small>_)_</small>

#### Vice presidential

- George H. Pendleton, U.S. representative from Ohio <small>(1857-1865)</small> <small>_(Vice presidential candidate)_</small>
- George Washington Cass, railroad president from Pennsylvania <small>(1856-1883)</small>
- Daniel W. Voorhees, U.S. representative from Indiana <small>(1861-1866, 1869-1873)</small>
- Augustus C. Dodge, former U.S. minister to Spain from Iowa <small>(1855-1859)</small>

## Infobox (election)

- **election name**: 1864 United States presidential election
- **country**: United States
- **flag year**: 1863
- **type**: presidential
- **ongoing**: no
- **previous election**: 1860 United States presidential election
- **previous year**: 1860
- **next election**: 1868 United States presidential election
- **next year**: 1868
- **votes for election**: 234 members (+17 invalidated) of the Electoral College (United States), Electoral College
- **needed votes**: 118 electoral
- **turnout**: 73.8%  7.4 percentage point, pp
- **election date**: November 8, 1864
- **image1**:
- **nominee1**: **Abraham Lincoln**
- **party1**: National Union Party (United States)
- **home state1**: Illinois
- **running mate1**: **Andrew Johnson**
- **electoral vote1**: **212** (+17 invalidated)
- **states carried1**: **22** (+2 invalidated)
- **popular vote1**: **2,218,388**
- **percentage1**: **55.02%**
- **image2**:
- **nominee2**: George B. McClellan
- **party2**: Democratic Party (United States)
- **home state2**: New Jersey
- **running mate2**: George H. Pendleton
- **electoral vote2**: 21
- **states carried2**: 3
- **popular vote2**: 1,812,807
- **percentage2**: 44.96%
- **map size**: 350px
- **map caption**: Presidential election results map. <span style="color:#c65c4f;">Red</span> states were won by Lincoln/Johnson, <span style="color:blue;">Blue</span> states were won by McClellan/Pendleton, and <span style="color:#542200;">Brown</span> (Confederate States of America, Confederate) states did not vote. Union (American Civil War), Union supporters in the Confederate states of Louisiana and Tennessee attempted, but were not allowed, to vote. Numbers show electoral votes cast by each state.
- **title**: President
- **before election**: Abraham Lincoln
- **before party**: Republican Party (United States)
- **after election**: Abraham Lincoln
- **after party**: National Union Party (United States)
- **map image**: ElectoralCollege1864.svg