Lincoln opposed the Mexican war (some warmonger) and lost his Congressional seat for it.
Lincoln opposed slavery and lost his Senatorial race to Stephan Douglas.
Finally, Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction were far less heavy-handed than those of the Radical Republicans. He wanted to give up power andadmit the Southern states quickly.
Yet to an even greater degree, he crafted his politics to win them.
Lincoln opposed slavery and lost his Senatorial race to Stephan Douglas.
Untrue. If you recall back in 1858, senators did not run for election. The state legislatures picked them.
So where then did the debates with Stephen Douglas come from? Quite simply, they were campaign appearanced made in attempt to win seats in the legislature for each figure's respective political party. As for those debate appearances, Lincoln was by far the bigger "waffler" of the two, tuning his message carefully to his audiences. He changes positions to his audience between stops so much that Douglas openly accused him in later debates of contradicting himself between appearances.
Finally, Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction were far less heavy-handed than those of the Radical Republicans.
Yes, but Lincoln was securely in his second term when the time for "reconstruction" emerged. He was not up for election any more.