While technically the article is correct about Lincoln being a third party candidate, they named the wrong election and the wrong parties. The Whigs had pretty much ceased to be a legitimate political party by the 1856 presidential elections. In 1860 it was the Republicans (political successors to the Whigs), Democrats (with two candidates, Douglas and Breckinridge) and Constitutional Union party (Bell). Lincoln ran in 1864 under the National Union Party, which wasn't really a third party but more of a unity party since it was the Republicans, Unionists, and War Democrats. It dissolved by 1868 but did get to have two Presidents (Lincoln, Johnson) under its short life with Grant running under the name but in reality it was back to being just the Republican Party at that point.
While technically the article is correct about Lincoln being a third party candidate, they named the wrong election and the wrong parties. The Whigs had pretty much ceased to be a legitimate political party by the 1856 presidential elections. In 1860 it was the Republicans (political successors to the Whigs), Democrats (with two candidates, Douglas and Breckinridge) and Constitutional Union party (Bell). Lincoln ran in 1864 under the National Union Party, which wasn't really a third party but more of a unity party since it was the Republicans, Unionists, and War Democrats. It dissolved by 1868 but did get to have two Presidents (Lincoln, Johnson) under its short life with Grant running under the name but in reality it was back to being just the Republican Party at that point.
While technically the article is correct about Lincoln being a third party candidate, they named the wrong election and the wrong parties. The Whigs had pretty much ceased to be a legitimate political party by the 1856 presidential elections. In 1860 it was the Republicans (political successors to the Whigs), Democrats (with two candidates, Douglas and Breckinridge) and Constitutional Union party (Bell). Lincoln ran in 1864 under the National Union Party, which wasn't really a third party but more of a unity party since it was the Republicans, Unionists, and War Democrats. It dissolved by 1868 but did get to have two Presidents (Lincoln, Johnson) under its short life with Grant running under the name but in reality it was back to being just the Republican Party at that point.