Who won Tennessee in the 1860 presidential election?

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

How many electoral votes did Tennessee have in 1860?

Tennessee cast 12 electoral votes in the 1860 presidential election.

Did Tennessee vote for the national winner in 1860?

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

Civil WarTN · 12 EV

1860

Tennessee: Bell carries 12 EV.

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

Tennessee in 1860

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

The result flipped Tennessee away from the American (Know-Nothing) it had supported in 1856. The region divided — Kentucky and Virginia joined Tennessee for the Constitutional Union ticket, while North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri did not. Over its 57 recorded presidential cycles, Tennessee has backed the Democratic party more than any other — 24 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

Tennessee full history →