Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A wani bangare saboda ci gaba da rikice-rikicen siyasa a Kansas, adawa da Dokar Kansas-Nebraska ta kasance mai karfi a Illinois da kuma Arewa. Yayin da zaben 1856 ya kusanto, Lincoln ya watsar da Jam'iyyar Whig da ta mutu a madadin 'yan Republican. Ya halarci taron Bloomington na Mayu 1856, wanda ya kafa Jam'iyyar Republican ta Illinois. Taron taron ya tabbatar da cewa Majalisa tana da 'yancin tsara bautar a cikin yankuna kuma ya yi kira ga shigar da Kansas nan da nan a matsayin jihar kyauta. Lincoln ya ba da jawabin ƙarshe na taron, inda ya goyi bayan dandalin jam'iyyar kuma ya yi kira ga kiyaye Tarayyar. A cikin Yuni 1856 Republican National Convention
, Lincoln ya sami goyon baya mai yawa a kuri'ar mataimakin shugaban kasa, kodayake jam'iyyar ta zabi tikitin John C. Frémont da William Dayton. Lincoln ya goyi bayan tikitin Jam'iyyar Republican, ya yi yakin neman zabe ga jam'iyyar a ko'ina cikin Illinois. 'Yan Democrat sun zabi tsohon Jakadan James Buchanan, wanda ya kasance daga kasar tun 1853 kuma ya kauce wa muhawara game da bautar a yankuna, yayin da Know Nothings ya zabi tsohon shugaban Whig Millard Fillmore. A zaben 1856, Buchanan ya ci nasara da abokan hamayyarsa, amma Frémont ya lashe jihohi da dama na Arewa da kuma Republican William Henry Bissell ya lashe zaben a matsayin Gwamnan Illinois. Kodayake Lincoln bai sami nasara ba, yakin neman zabensa ya sa ya zama shugaban jam'iyyar Republican a Illinois.