Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Bailey, 1994)

The 'Little Giant's' [Douglas] loyalty to popular sovereignty, which still had a powerful appeal in Illinois, probably was decisive. Senators were then chosen by state legislatures; and in the general election that followed the debates, more pro-Douglas members weree elected than pro-Lincoln. Yet thanks to inequitable apportionment, the districts carried by Douglas supporters represented a smaller population than those carried by Lincoln supporters. 'Honest Abe' thus won a clear moral victory.