Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He was the first republican to win presidency but struggled to get there. Lincoln first gained status during his campaign against Stephen Douglas of Illinois for a United States Senate seat in 1858. In his election he only received 40% of the popular vote but pulled off to beat the other 3 candidates. The election for Senate also had many encounters on the issue of slavery(known as the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and lincoln was against the spread of slavery unlike Douglas). Lincoln lost the Senate race, but his campaign brought national attention to the young republican party. lincoln then won the party’s presidential nomination. In the November 1860 election, Lincoln faced Douglas again.
