Had Lincoln lost New York in 1860, the result would've been a hung electoral college and a contingent election in the House of Representatives. The three choices open to the House would be Lincoln, who won the most states and a plurality of electoral and popular votes, Vice-President Breckinridge and Stephen A. Douglas. The Republicans had the most seats in the House, but they didn't have an outright majority. In this scenario, who wins the contingent election? Remember that in such an election each state delegation gets one vote. In the electoral college Lincoln would've won 16 states, Breckinridge 11, and Douglas only 3. John Bell's influence on the Upper South would be a deciding factor.