RE: Lincoln was never a Senator.
I think the point was to elect somebody who has EXECUTIVE experience in government for President and according to some people, Senators ( and by extension, Congressmen, much less one term congressmen like Honest Abe ) should not be considered for lack of executive experience.
My argument is this — we shouldn’t make this a sacrosanct rule.
It may not be sacrosanct, but it is a good guide line.
—RE: Lincoln was never a Senator.
I think the point was -—
No, the point was that we shouldn’t elect Senators [e.g., the current POTUS], which would not have stopped Lincoln from being elected.