What Would Lincoln Do?
He would name his party rival for the Presidential nomination, William H. Seward, his Secretary of State.
"In 1859, confident of gaining the presidential nomination and advised by his political ally and friend Thurlow Weed that he would be better off avoiding political gatherings where his words might be misinterpreted by one faction or another, Seward left the country for an eight-month tour of Europe. During that hiatus, his lesser-known rival Abraham Lincoln worked diligently to line up support in case Seward failed to win on the first ballot...Abraham Lincoln appointed him Secretary of State in 1861 and he served until 1869."
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