1856 United States presidential election (PSUS History)

= 1856 =

''Disclaimer: This is a fictional scenario that is not claiming itself to be factual in any sense of the word. Do not take any scenario presented here for factual information''

The 1856 United States presidential election was the 18th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1856. Secretary of War and Former Vice President q|Abraham Lincoln defeated Ambassador q|William A. Rockefeller and Senator q|John C. Fremont.

In 1856, Incumbent q|Democratic President q|James K. Polk announced his intention to not seek a second term. An attempt was made at the q|Democratic National Convention to redraft the popular incumbent President, met with little success. Instead, Ambassador to Britain William A. Rockefeller, who previously served as Governor of Illinois from 1839 to 1841, was chosen. q|Caser Shaft, a United States Senator from q|Texas first inaugurated in 1845, became his running mate.

The q|Federalist-Republican Party, recovering from their loss in the q|1852 Election, nominated Secretary of War Abraham Lincoln, who has previously served as Vice President of the United States from 1849 to 1853. Despite his popularity and association to Former President Aurelius P. Harrison, a sizeable portion of Federalist-Republican delegates, led by q|William, opposed his nomination. These delegates prevented Lincoln’s nomination until the third ballot, when Lincoln agreed to support moderate Justice q|William F. Sarge for the Vice Presidency over lincolnite q|Gregory Anderson the III. William F. Sarge had previously ran for the q|People’s Union Party nomination for President in the 1848 Election.

The q|Paperback Party, which had not ran a candidate since the 1844 Election, nominated Federalist-Republican Senator John C. Fremont for President. Despite not being a Paperback, Fremont accepted the nomination. In order to keep onboard the few remaining Paperbacks who opposed Fremont, q|Thurlow Weed, a veteran Paperback who was the parties nominee for Vice President in the q|1844 Election, and who even ran for the q|nomination in 1840, was chosen as his running mate.

In the general election, Lincoln’s popularity and William Rockefeller’s unknown stances on many issues allowed for Lincoln to win in an electoral and popular vote landslide.