In this letter, Abraham Lincoln writes to fellow Republican Lyman Trumbull remarking that he has some interest in entering the race for the 1860 Republican nomination for president. Of running, Lincoln writes, “the taste is in my mouth a little,” but he reassures Trumbull that he would not insist on running if his doing so would divide the Republican party. Lincoln mentions near the beginning of the letter that he was waiting to share his intentions publicly until he discovered who would be the Democratic nominee. Lincoln evaluates the chances other Republican candidates would have in Illinois and indicates he doesn’t believe any of them could carry the state against Stephen Douglas, the presumed Democratic nominee. Lincoln exhorts Trumbull to keep the contents of the letter secret to avoid their being misconstrued by the public.