A Long and Flowing Whig: The Whig National Convention, 1860

Which candidate should the Whig Party nominate

  • President, Winfield Scott

    Votes: 11 31.4%
  • Secretary of State, William Seward

    Votes: 7 20.0%
  • Vice President, Abraham Lincoln

    Votes: 20 57.1%

  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
The Election of 1860: The Whig National Convention
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Scotts Decision
After months of contemplation, President Winfield Scott decided to run for an unprecedented 3rd term. He feels that the nation needs to stay under a consistent leadership during crisis, and that a change in leadership would result in a change of war strategy, which could harm the effort to bring the south back into the fold. He wants to keep foreign nations out of the conflict, whether they side with the Union or the Confederacy.

William Seward
After serving as the Secretary of State since the Clay administration. He wants to change the war strategy by employing the “Virginia Strategy”, instead of the “Missouri Strategy”. He is not against foreign involvement, as long as it’s one the side of the Union, and no soldiers are placed on American soil. He is also pro-expansionist. He believes that Scott should not run for a third term. He would prefer that the war would be solved diplomatically by making concessions to the southern states in exchange for an end to hostilities and for their return to the Union.

Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln has been serving as Scott’s vice president since 1857. He is opposed to slavery, and is the symbolic leader of the abolitionist faction of the Whig Party. He has promised to run for the presidency, regardless of whether or not he wins the Party nomination. He also wants to change the war strategy, but instead of going for the “Virginia Strategy”, he wants to make the “Missouri” strategy the national strategy. He also promises that he would promote John C. Fremont to the position of Commanding General of the United States Army. He doesn’t want any kind of foreign involvement.
 

Free Lancer

Banned
im going with Lincoln for the Reasons he will end Slavery and he will put Fremont in charge of the Union armys which is something that the union needs at the moment.

scot in my opinon is just to much a by the book General and commander in chief which is not what the union war Effort needs it will harm it more then it will help it

and seward the concessions to the South is not going to look good in the Public eye
 
Lincoln, for above reasons plus it won't split the party. Also given Scott's health he might not make it through 1860 with all this strain, so there's less transition problems.
 
Scott's age is definitely a deterrent. But given how well of a job he has done so far, maybe it would be a good thing to have him run again. Then again, I still cannot fathom Winfield Scott as POTUS.

Would rather Lincoln, because he is Lincoln.
 
I ruled out Scott due to the Washington limit, and given the results of Lincoln OTL, You-Know-Who got voted in.
 
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