I agree, that is possible only if you regard the people of the State as the State. A Concept already rejected by Washington in its claim to superior sovereign power in domestic sphere, which is founded on the promis that Washington gets it’s power from the people. But if the States are the people then clearly they ceded no such power and their efforts to resist such separation are legitimate & necessary in every way.
I actually accept the concept that the States are their people as a distinct sovereign body from all the others in the world and most particularly the other 49 states. That the union that is theses united States is in fact a union of those states as body’s distinct not their component parts.
Unfourntatly that concept makes it difficult to accept a notion that the Federal Constitution can dictate how State’s govern themselves domestically.
If however the States are distinct entities separate from their populations, such as Washington has long contended in its effort to subjugate them, then enfranchisement was total abolished with the 17th Amendment, as their vote was given to a separate party, by Washington(without their consent).
A move that proved structurally catastrophic in eliminating the key checks necessary to sustain a federal union.
Then, examine your actions. The question is not, will my actions work toward making my political goal a success. The question you need to answer is, will my actions realistically work toward making my goal a success. If your actions have no realistic chance of working, then you start exploring other possible actions which will have a better chance of success.
Realistically, repealing the 17th Amendment had zero chance of succeeding. In fact, by pushing that, you risk alienating some folks that would otherwise support you. Voters, for 100 years, have voted directly for their U.S. Senator. Some conservatives live in liberal neighborhoods in liberal states. Through no fault of their own, their state representatives and state senators may be Democrats. So now you're going to tell them that those Democratic legislators are going to select their U.S. Senator? It doesn't make any difference how logical and historical your argument is, the ultimate factor is that people will perceive that you are stealing their vote and giving it to someone else. That will never fly.
Keep pursuing this action if you want, but, in my opinion, it's wasted time which is ultimately working against your goals. Move onto some other action which has a better chance of success.