Who won Kentucky in the 1860 presidential election?

Bell (Constitutional Union) carried Kentucky in 1860, winning its 12 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Kentucky have in 1860?

Kentucky cast 12 electoral votes in the 1860 presidential election.

Did Kentucky vote for the national winner in 1860?

No. Kentucky backed Bell, while Abraham Lincoln won the presidency nationally.

Civil WarKY · 12 EV

1860

Kentucky: Bell carries 12 EV.

Kentucky cast its 12 electoral votes for Bell (Constitutional Union). National winner: Abraham Lincoln (Republican) — Kentucky voted against the national winner this cycle.

Kentucky in 1860

The 1860 contest saw Kentucky line up behind Bell, delivering 12 electoral votes to the Constitutional Union ticket. The presidency went elsewhere: Abraham Lincoln (Republican) won nationally, while Kentucky had backed a different ticket.

The result flipped Kentucky away from the American (Know-Nothing) it had supported in 1856. The region divided — Virginia and Tennessee joined Kentucky for the Constitutional Union ticket, while Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois did not. Over its 59 recorded presidential cycles, Kentucky has backed the Democratic party more than any other — 28 times in all. The vote fell within the Civil War — Lincoln, war, and Reconstruction begins.

Nationally, Abraham Lincoln finished with 180 of the 303 electoral votes to John C. Breckinridge's 72. Abraham Lincoln led the national popular vote with 39.65% of the ballots cast.

The 1860 national map

Kentucky full history →