But I think this is all academic because I cannot see Republicans--especially Radicals--rallying behind Bell with the necessary unanimity.
So it is nearly impossible for Bell to become President in 1860?
What if Breckinridge came in fourth place in the electoral college and the House vote was between Lincoln, Douglas, and Bell? Would the slave states support Bell in that scenario?
I was thinking of writing a TL with Bell becoming President and Lane becoming Vice President in 1860 but I want to be realistic (and civil war-era TLs have a tendency for implausibility).