Why do you think Lincoln garners enough popular support to become president?

Why do you think Lincoln, a relatively unknown politician, garners enough popular support to become president?

I think it had a lot to do with who else was running. His rivals were perceived as either complete abolitionists or pro-slavery. Lincoln came in as an acceptable alternative to the far right/far left candidates.

Kinda reminds me of how Joe Biden got elected, in my opinion. Many of his Democratic opponents were very far left, making them a tough sell to much of the country. I don't know that Joe Biden was many peoples' first choice for president, but he's the one most in the party could live with.

I think that it was because he was different, not the usual or ordinary politician. He spoke calmly, intelligently, compassionately, and held dear all of the tenets of the originals who constructed the bill of rights. In a state of chaos, he provided a sense of potential stability. Would we have chosen informed, honest stability, or would we have chosen chaos?

I think Lorraine and Kim have identified several of the reasons Lincoln was chosen. I think we need to consider several others as well. The Republican Party was the new face while the other parties had baggage like slavery, corruption, east coast elitism. Next, the convention was held in Lincoln's home state and his campaign group could gather supporters more easily. Then, Lincoln was a more common person and wasn't considered a politician. Also, a lot of the country had read the transcripts of the Lincoln Douglas Debates and Lincoln's arguments seemed to have more common sense.

Abraham Lincoln was not a politician. I believe he was considered by many of the
common class to be 'one of them', something current candidates might think about.

To many he was the least of evils. To the common voters he had some of the traits they valued in themselves. Even now we long for someone like him to untangle our country!

I think he was different from previous presidents and current politicians. He appeared to be like a neighbor or someone who could be trusted.

Lincoln was raised in poverty and became President of the United States. He was self-taught, intelligent, reasonable, thoughtful, compassionate - he wanted what was best for the Union and best for its people. I think people could relate to him and respected him as a good honest human being.

Due to the number of candidates for the Republican nominee, none had a clear majority. With the way the nomination process worked at that time, although a dark horse he was able to come from behind and secure the nomination. Related to being elected President, the North simply had far greater numbers of voters than the South.

I think it had a lot to do with the convention being on his home turf and that Lincoln wasn't all that well known compared to some of the other candidates. Based on the balloting reported in the book, he was also the compromise candidate, the one everyone could get behind when their candidate couldn't get enough votes to become the nominee.

People who heard him felt he was truthful and genuine. He seems to have been able to convince those who really listened that he was the one to keep the country together.

Did he? Only 40% and no votes at all in most Southern States? The Democrats were divided and had no candidate that could bridge the divide. And Seward was not a man of the people--he was a rich New Yorker from a State rife with corruption and neither Chase nor Bates had a definite enough workable stand on the slavery issue. Lincoln had no baggage, seemed honest and open and moral on the subject of slavery without any radical statements about how he'd deal with it--just that it was a bad thing.

Who knows, maybe such a candidate, honest, no baggage, sensible and logical may show up in this election and give us a breath of fresh air for which to vote--leaving those old, phony,, windbags behind