How could you get Frémont elected in 1856?

As the title says. I was thinking if maybe the Democrats split like they would in 1860 that would basically do it. But how would they split? Thanks guys.
 
The short answer is "With great difficulty".

None of the 15 Slave States is going to vote for him, so he needs all 16 Free States in order to win in the House. This is extremely unlikely.

For him to stand a chance of election, you probably need a PoD well before 1856. Perhaps if the Kansas-Nebraska Act is never passed, and the Republican Party doesn't get formed, then, with the slavery issue on the back burner, he might have a chance of election as a Whig. But even that is a long shot.
 
The Democrats re-nominate Franklin Pierce. And Frémont responds effectively to the claims that he is Catholic. Pierce would be weak, that's why the Dems dumped him for Buchanan OTL, and would not have Buchanan's native-son appeal in Pennsylvania. And David T has argued very knowledgeably that the "Cathoiic" issue really hurt Frémont, but could have been dealt with.

Frémont could carry PA (27 EV), IL (11 EV), and IN (13 EV), which would give him enough to win (165 of 296).
 
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