Breckinridge's lukewarm support for Douglas in his 1858 senatorial re-election bid against Abraham Lincoln convinced Douglas that Breckinridge would seek the Democratic presidential nomination, but in a January 1860 letter to his uncle, Breckinridge averred he was "firmly resolved not to" [REF].
Breckinridge asked James Clay to protect his interests at the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina [REF].