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In 1858, former US representative Abraham Lincoln (then little-known outside of Illinois) ran for a US Senate seat against the Democratic incumbent, Stephen A. Douglas. They held 7 scheduled debates, one in each of the districts in which neither had already campaigned. These were held between August 21 and October 15, 1858. The response by the public was arguably meaningless, since (at that time) the Illinois legislature elected the state's senators. (This was changed by the 17th amendment in 1913.)

Lincoln, the Republican candidate, lost the election but his arguments were well-received by the audiences. He collected the transcribed texts into a book, which also became popular, leading to his nomination for President in 1860.

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Rahul Ledner

Lvl 10
3y ago

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