The Republicans, on their State ticket, polled 125,430 votes; the Douglas Democrats, 121,609; the Buchanan Democrats, 5071.

By this plurality the Republican State officers were chosen.

But in respect to members of the Legislature the case stood differently, and when in the following January the Senatorial election took place in joint session of the two Houses, Douglas received the vote of every Democrat, 54 members, and Lincoln the vote of every Republican, 46 members, whereupon Douglas was declared elected Senator of the United States for six years from the 4th of March, 1859.
The main cause of Lincoln's defeat was the unfairness of the existing apportionment, which was based upon the census of 1850.

A fair apportionment, based on the changes of population which had occurred, would have given northern Illinois a larger representation; and it was there the Republicans had recruited their principal strength in the recent transformation of parties.

The Republicans estimated that this circumstance caused them a loss of six to ten members.
[Sidenote] Lincoln, Cincinnati Speech, Sept.