I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided
It will become all one thing, or all the other." The speech created a stark image of the danger of disunion
The stage was then set for the election of the Illinois legislature which would, in turn, select Lincoln or Douglas
When informed of Lincoln's nomination, Douglas stated, "[Lincoln] is the strong man of the party
and if I beat him, my victory will be hardly won."

The Senate campaign featured seven debates between Lincoln and Douglas
These were the most famous political debates in American history; they had an atmosphere akin to a prizefight and drew crowds in the thousands
The principals stood in stark contrast both physically and politically
Lincoln warned that Douglas' "Slave Power" was threatening the values of republicanism, and accused Douglas of distorting the Founding Fathers' premise that all men are created equal
Douglas emphasized his Freeport Doctrine, in which he said local settlers were free to choose whether to allow slavery within their territory, and accused Lincoln of having joined the abolitionists
Lincoln's argument assumed a moral tone, as he claimed Douglas represented a conspiracy to promote slavery
Douglas's argument was more legal in nature, claiming that Lincoln was defying the authority of the U.S
Supreme Court as exercised in the Dred Scott decision
Though the Republican legislative candidates won more popular votes, the Democrats won more seats, and the legislature re-elected Douglas
However, Lincoln's articulation of the issues had given him a national political presence
In the aftermath of the 1858 election, newspapers frequently mentioned Lincoln as a potential Republican presidential candidate, rivaled by William H
Chase, Edward Bates, and Simon Cameron
While Lincoln was popular in the Midwest, he lacked support in the Northeast and was unsure whether to seek the office
In January 1860, Lincoln told a group of political allies that he would accept the presidential nomination if offered and, in the following months, several local papers endorsed his candidacy
Over the coming months, Lincoln was tireless, making nearly fifty speeches along the campaign trail
By the quality and simplicity of his rhetoric, he quickly became the champion of the Republican party
However, despite his overwhelming support in the Midwestern United States, he was less appreciated in the east
He insisted that morality required opposition to slavery and rejected any "groping for some middle ground between the right and the wrong"
Many in the audience thought he appeared awkward and even ugly
But Lincoln demonstrated intellectual leadership, which brought him into contention
Journalist Noah Brooks reported, "No man ever before made such an impression on his first appeal to a New York audience"
Historian David Herbert Donald described the speech as "a superb political move for an unannounced presidential aspirant
1860 presidential election

On May 9–10, 1860, the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur
Lincoln's followers organized a campaign team led by David Davis, Norman Judd, Leonard Swett, and Jesse DuBois, and Lincoln received his first endorsement
Exploiting his embellished frontier legend (clearing land and splitting fence rails), Lincoln's supporters adopted the label of "The Rail Candidate"
At times he was presented as the plain-talking "Rail Splitter" and at other times he was "Honest Abe", unpolished but trustworthy
On May 18, at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Lincoln won the nomination on the third ballot, beating candidates such as Seward and Chase
A former Democrat, Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, was nominated for vice president to balance the ticket
Lincoln's success depended on his campaign team, his reputation as a moderate on the slavery issue, and his strong support for internal improvements and the tariff
Pennsylvania put him over the top, led by the state's iron interests who were reassured by his tariff support
Lincoln's managers had focused on this delegation while honoring Lincoln's dictate to "Make no contracts that will bind me"
As the Slave Power tightened its grip on the national government, most Republicans agreed with Lincoln that the North was the aggrieved party
Throughout the 1850s, Lincoln had doubted the prospects of civil war, and his supporters rejected claims that his election would incite secession
Breckinridge as their candidate
A group of former Whigs and Know Nothings formed the Constitutional Union Party and nominated John Bell of Tennessee
Lincoln and Douglas competed for votes in the North, while Bell and Breckinridge primarily found support in the South
People of the Northern states knew the Southern states would vote against Lincoln and rallied supporters for Lincoln
As Douglas and the other candidates campaigned, Lincoln gave no speeches, relying on the enthusiasm of the Republican Party
The party did the leg work that produced majorities across the North and produced an abundance of campaign posters, leaflets, and newspaper editorials
Republican speakers focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincoln's life story, emphasizing his childhood poverty
The goal was to demonstrate the power of "free labor", which allowed a common farm boy to work his way to the top by his own efforts
The Republican Party's production of campaign literature dwarfed the combined opposition; a Chicago Tribune writer produced a pamphlet that detailed Lincoln's life and sold 100,000–200,000 copies
Though he did not give public appearances, many sought to visit him and write him
In the runup to the election, he took an office in the Illinois state capitol to deal with the influx of attention
He also hired John George Nicolay as his personal secretary, who would remain in that role during the presidency