Could Kasich Win By Following In Lincoln's Footsteps?

Sure Ohio Governor John Kasich seems like a longshot for the Republican nomination, despite his impressive second place showing in New Hampshire. But his strategy for winning the GOP contest is not that different from another longshot presidential hopeful from the Midwest, Abraham Lincoln, who sought to be everyone's second choice.

For the Civil War class that I teach, I began reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals. It starts with the 1860 GOP Convention, where overconfident Republicans like William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase and Edward Bates wait for the nomination to come to them, while the lesser known Abraham Lincoln, who served a term in Congress and lost two Senate bids, has allies helping him ride the convention to victory. '

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