The 1860 United States presidential election in California took place on November 6, 1860, as part of the 1860 United States presidential election. State voters chose four representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. California narrowly voted for the Republican nominee, former Illinois representative Abraham Lincoln. He defeated the Democratic nominee, Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas, the Southern Democratic nominee, Vice President John C. Breckinridge and the Constitutional Union nominee John Bell. Lincoln won the state by a narrow margin of 0.61%, or 734 votes. After this election, Humboldt County would not vote for a Democratic candidate again until 1932. This was also the last time a Democratic candidate would carry Placer County and Plumas County until 1916, nor would any Democratic candidate carry Napa County, San Mateo County, and Solano County again until 1912.

Results

Results by county

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Know Nothing to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic