Douglas 's role in passing the compromise gave him the stature of a national leader , and he enjoyed the support of the Young America movement , which favored expansionary policies . Douglas helped pass a bill granting rights-of-way to the Illinois Central Railroad , which would connect Chicago to Mobile , Alabama . He envisioned a transcontinental country connected by railroads and waterways , with Illinois serving as the gateway to the West . " There is a power in this nation greater than either the North or the South ... that power is the country known as the great West , " he stated . Though he publicly denied interest in running in the 1852 presidential election , Douglas worked behind the scenes to build a base of support . The 1852 Democratic National Convention held several presidential ballots , with delegates split between Douglas , former Secretary of State James Buchanan of Pennsylvania , 1848 presidential nominee Lewis Cass of Michigan , and former Secretary of War William L. Marcy of New York . Nomination required the support of two-thirds of the delegates , and none of the major candidates were able to accrue that level of support . On the 49th ballot , the convention nominated a dark horse candidate , former Senator Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire . Despite his disappointment at losing the nomination , Douglas campaigned for Pierce across the Midwest . Pierce went on to defeat the Whig candidate , Winfield Scott , in the 1852 presidential election , while Douglas won re-election to the Senate
1852 Democratic National Convention
1852 Democratic National Convention
Stephen A. Douglas