Wasn’t “Honest Abe” the last current or former congressman (only office held) elected president? Remind me what year that was? And wasn’t that in a 4-way race?
We’ve got a 1/2 term senator now.
And he was also nominated as a compromise candidate for the Republican party.
He had, however, made a national name for himself on the topic of slavery, and especially in his debates with Stephen Douglas.