In the runup to the election, he took an office in the Illinois state capitol to deal with the influx of attention. He also hired John George Nicolay as his personal secretary, who would remain in that role during the presidency.[156]
On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president. He was the first Republican president and his victory was entirely due to his support in the North and West. No ballots were cast for him in 10 of the 15 Southern slave states, and he won only two of 996 counties in all the Southern states, an omen of the impending Civil War.[157][158] Lincoln received 1,866,452 votes, or 39.8% of the total in a four-way race, carrying the free Northern states, as well as California and Oregon.[159] His victory in the Electoral College was decisive: Lincoln had 180 votes to 123 for his opponents.[160]

Presidency (1861–1865)
Main article: Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
Secession and inauguration
Main article: Presidential transition of Abraham Lincoln
Further information: Secession winter and Baltimore Plot
Lincoln's first inaugural at the United States Capitol, March 4, 1861. The Capitol dome above the rotunda was still under construction.
