As the GOP Republican election is coming down to the wire it is apparent that none of the candidates will make it to 1237 delegates in order to secure a nomination, forcing a contested convention to nominate the GOP nominee. This would be a the first contested convention in over four decades. If a candidate fails to secure a nomination on the first ballot, it would mark the first brokered convention for either party since 1952. A contested/brokered convention is a foreign concept to people amongst our generation. Many people have threatened to start anarchy, due to their claims of corruption with the use of a contested conventions, and one of the leading candidates, Donald Trump, has claimed that the process of a contested convention is a “corrupted system." This is simply an ignorant claim for someone who does not have a firm understanding of this country’s history. Contested conventions have occurred numerous times in the past, and in fact our country could look tremendously different if this system were not in place. In fact, if the brokered convention system was still in place, Abraham Lincoln would have never had a chance to become president. America could have turned out for the worst, as slavery could have remained in existence - the possible Confederacy could have risen to power. The 1860 GOP brokered convention in Chicago was where one of America’s greatest leaders came in as a dark horse to sweep the GOP nomination bid.

Lincoln’s Strategy

Lincoln was a dark horse candidate who had just begun to gain national recognition from his debates with Stephen Douglas for the Senate seat. Lincoln prepared hard for the Republican convention. Lincoln campaigned in Chicago 4 days prior to the convention, sending out a team that centered around sending out trusted friends; whom swayed Illinois voters as well as delegates of other states who were weary of Davis to vote for him.

This strategy worked as the first ballot results came in with Steward with 173.5 to Lincoln’s 102. Lincoln intended to get the second highest vote count on the first ballot and line up additional votes for the second ballot, in order to show increasing strength. He hoped that this strategy--combined with the presence of an enthusiastic band of followers on the floor--would be sufficient to win the nomination on the third or subsequent ballot. (Holitzer, American Heritage Society).

Heated Parts of the Convention

The second ballot saw the second place candidate surge from 102 delegates to 181, while Seward slightly increased to 184.5. Lincoln’s momentum began when all 44 of Pennsylvania’s delegates switched to Lincoln. With a virtual tie going into the third ballot, things got crazy.

The third ballot craziness erupted as Lincoln’s people rushed the states of Maryland, Kentucky, and Virginia delegations before Stewart could gather closing support. When the third-ballot roll call ended, Lincoln had reached 231.5 votes — just 1.5 votes short of the nomination!!! For a moment the ruckus in the Wingham evaporated; as one onlooker claimed it grew so still that he could hear the 60 reporters frantically scribbling. As the hush fell, all eyes turned toward D. K. Cartter of Ohio, who stuttered out: “I-I arise, Mr. Chairman, to a-announce the ch-change of four votes, from Mr. Chase to Abraham Lincoln!” For a moment, the audience was silent--then it erupted. The sound was so deafening that the only way people could tell that cannons outside the Wigwam were being fired was by watching the smoke drift from the barrels. (Holitzer American Heritage).

The political atmosphere in 1860 was similar to what we have now. We have a country that is divided by racial and political strife. We are in an election that is said to hold the fate of a generation. The most popular candidate in both situations is a wealthy New York mogul: William Sewards, and Donald Trump. By all means I am not saying there is “a darkhorse” Lincoln coming out of the woodworks, nor am I claiming that Trump will flop like Sewards. However I have always found value in examining the past in order to gain knowledge to make decisions for the future.