The 1860 Republican National Convention opened with five major candidates : Abraham Lincoln , William Seward , Salmon P. Chase of Ohio , Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania , and Edward Bates of Missouri . Despite Seward 's lead on the first two ballots , Lincoln emerged as the party 's nominee on the third ballot . Lincoln 's candidacy was boosted by the widely-held view that his reputation for honesty and moderation made him a strong candidate , especially in key Northern swing states like Indiana and Illinois . For vice president , the Republicans nominated Hannibal Hamlin , a former Democrat from Maine who maintained warm relations with both Lincoln and Seward . Republicans , including Seward , rallied to Lincoln as did many former Whigs . Lincoln argued for the containment of slavery to the Southern states , but promised that Republicans would not seek to abolish slavery in the South itself . With four major candidates in the field , Buchanan hoped that no one candidate would win an electoral vote majority and the election would be thrown to the House
1860 Republican National Convention
1860 Republican National Convention
Presidency of James Buchanan