Take a step back from your idealism and take at look at who runs the state legislatures. In a majority of states it’s corrupt rats. Senators chosen by them wouldn’t “rein in” a damn thing people. You have an even shiftier group of asses ready to funnel money to their masters in the state capitals.
Given that so many counties of the USA, even today, are red, the states would be more conservative except for the one-man, one vote rule that the Supreme Court imposed on the states in the 1960s. That prevented the states from properly recognizing any political interests except population in drawing state senatorial districts. Given the inherent difficulty of getting an accurate census count in urban areas, and the dishonest activities of political machines and demagogic organizations like Acorn, this has taken away the ability of the states to prevent electiuns from being dominated by population blocs.