Lincoln and Johnson assassinated, who runs in the 1866 special election?

I think if Douglass is elected the South may (try to) rise again.

They wouldn't need to. The North would do it for them.

As others have said, the nomination (and with it the election) is Grant's unless he point-blank refuses - which he won't. Otherwise, as David T suggests, probably someone like Colfax or Trumbull.
 
If Seward was attacked and survived as IOTL, he could be nearly sainted. Say what anyone may of him, he had the experience and stature to be president.

I completely agree with this. Providing Seward survives he would have a reasonably easy time to secure the Republican nomination and probably the presidency.
 
I completely agree with this. Providing Seward survives he would have a reasonably easy time to secure the Republican nomination and probably the presidency.

IDK about this. Lincoln had Seward basically "run the country" while he ran the war. Seward had to take a lot of very unpopular actions during Lincoln's time in office. Including suspension of habeus corpus, mass arrests, and sending in the army to put down draft riots after local authorities and the militia not only failed to do so but joined the rioters.:mad: That sort of thing gets you a lot of respect in Washington but also generates a lot of hate in the country as a whole.
 
IDK about this. Lincoln had Seward basically "run the country" while he ran the war. Seward had to take a lot of very unpopular actions during Lincoln's time in office. Including suspension of habeus corpus, mass arrests, and sending in the army to put down draft riots after local authorities and the militia not only failed to do so but joined the rioters.:mad: That sort of thing gets you a lot of respect in Washington but also generates a lot of hate in the country as a whole.


Was that Seward? Most of it sounds more like Stanton's department.
 
Was that Seward? Most of it sounds more like Stanton's department.

Not really. First, Lincoln had the corrupt and incompetent Simon Cameron as his initial SecWar. By the time Stanton got in and proved himself both (very) competent and trustworthy, Seward had been doing the work for quite awhile, and Lincoln had become comfortable with him. Besides, Lincoln & Seward as well as Lincoln & Stanton were both very good team ups. No reason to mess with a working formula.

Lincoln didn't like the idea of the stern SecWar exercising military authority over legal matters like the suspension of habeus corpus, monitoring ballot boxes to prevent thuggery, and arresting large numbers of civilians without charge. While troops might be employed to do so, Lincoln seemed to prefer having the senior member of the cabinet, the former governor of New York (largest state at the time), taking such executive actions over the more intemperate Stanton, who'd never held elective office and whose only real political experience was serving briefly as Buchanan's AG.

Also, as SecState in a Civil War for survival, there was little to do for Seward beyond preventing foreign intervention. Lincoln simply employed Seward's excess skills diligently.
 
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