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He gained fame debating against Stephen Douglas who was his opponent in the race to be US Senator from Illinois. The debates were over national issues, including slavery in the new states. They were printed in newspapers around the country. He lost the Senate race, but the fame he got helped him get the nomination for President two years later.
Lincoln was not elected to the Senate after the Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858. US Senators were still elected by state legislatures. The Republicans won a slender majority in popular vote, but the malapportioned Illinois state-senate seats resulted in a majority for Stephen Douglas. The Lincoln-Douglas debates were widely reprinted throughout the country, and Lincoln gained invitations for speaking engagements. Major speeches like the 1859 Cooper Union speech set the groundwork for his presidential run in 1860.
i have read he lost as many as 17 consecutive elections, ranging fro mayor to senator.
Abraham Lincoln's position in the Lincoln-Douglas debate was that of " A House divided cannot stand." The phrase still rings true today. He believed the black slaves were entitled to the same right under the declaration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Illinois seat was open in the US Senate and Lincoln (Republican) And Douglas (Democrat) were running against each other for said seat.Both Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were campaigning for one of the two United States Senator seats from Illinois in 1858.They participated in a total of seven debates across the state.Issues in the debates ranged from states' rights to the spread of slavery into the expanding territories.