What if Abraham Lincoln was not elected President of the USA

Going on this idea further, is it plausible -- if we assume an alternate 1860 Election where Douglas denies Lincoln an ECV majority even as he comes in fourth (in said college) -- for Breckinridge or his running mate, Anthony Lane, to assume the Presidency in the next few months? For example, could the House of Representatives adopt a rule whereby the third placer for President, after a certain number of ballots, in dropped from consideration, forcing a choice between the Republican and Southern Democratic candidate?


It's probably constitutional. The HoR is required to choose from the highest placed persons "not exceeding three" so presumably they could restrict the choice to less than three. Trouble is, though, that in practice there would be no way to prevent a state from casting a vote for the third man - it would just be counted as having abstained. And as an absolute majority of states is required for election, that doesn't really help.

In 1861, though, if Douglas runs third that is virtually the position even without a rule change. Douglas Democrats controlled only one state delegation - Illinois - and iirc Douglas had already said that he did not wish any votes to be cast for him in the HoR. So if he was the third-placed candidate, effectively it would be a straight choice between Breckinridge and Lincoln
 
I could see Abraham Lincoln becoming first a senator and then Chief Justice of the United States

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