1867 Confederate States Presidential Election (Southern Glory)

The 1867 Confederate States Presidential Election was the second sexennial presidential election in the Confederate States, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1867. The Democratic ticket of war heroes Army General Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant General James Longstreet defeated the Nationalist ticket of Vice President Alexander Stephens and Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge.

The Confederate Constitution limited presidents to one six-year-term, forbidding incumbent President Jefferson Davis from running again. The Confederate Democratic Party, formed in 1865, drafted General Lee for the nomination. He did not wish to run, but accepted the nomination due to his sense of duty. In the new Nationalist Party, Vice President Stephens was nominated, and selected Breckinridge as his running mate.

Issues of the election mainly centered on foreign policy, specifically tariffs and the Confederate States' relationship with its northern neighbor. Lee supported lower tariffs and rebuilding the relationship with the Union, while Stephens supported high tariffs and ignoring the US. This was the first real campaign in the Confederacy's short history. It also soon became one of the dirtiest, with Lee's running mate, James Longstreet, being attacked and almost killed over allegations he wanted to re-join the Union.

On election day Lee won a decent victory, carrying the Upper South, Texas, and Florida, while Stephens swept the Deep South. In the popular vote Lee prevailed, winning a four-point victory over Stephens. Ultimately, Lee would only serve two years of his term, as he passed in 1870, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Longstreet.

Background
The Confederate Constitution limits presidents to only one six-year-term. Jefferson Davis, the incumbent, supported this rule as a guard against tyranny. His term ended on February 22, 1868.

Democratic Nomination
While Stephens was originally thought to be a prime candidate for the Democrats, party leadership instead decided to draft Lee, angering the Vice President and causing his defection to the Nationalist Party. While Lee had no desire to run, his sense of duty overcame him and he accepted the nomination. For Vice President, Longstreet was selected, partially due to his relative youth compared to Lee's advanced age.

Campaign
Both Lee and Stephens resorted to mostly using surrogates to campaign, though Lee did run a front-porch campaign from his home in Virginia, and almost 40,000 people came to listen to him talk. Mudslinging was common, with the Stephens campaign calling Lee a race traitor and accusing Longstreet of wanting to rejoin the North, while the Lee campaign painted Stephens as a crazed radical who intended to go to war with the Union again.