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===House of Representatives===
Vallandigham ran for Congress in 1856, but he was narrowly defeated. He appealed to the Committee of Elections of the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], claiming that illegal votes had been cast. The House eventually agreed, and Vallandigham was seated on the next to last day of the term. The delay was due to "the division which had arisen in the Democratic party upon the [[Lecompton]] question."{{sfn|Vallandigham|1872|p=100}} He was reelected by a small margin in 1858 and won again in 1860. During the 1860 presidential campaign, he supported [[Stephen A. Douglas]], although he disagreed with Douglas's position on "squatter sovereignty", which was used by detractors to describe [[popular sovereignty]].{{sfn|Vallandigham|1872|p=137}} Vallandigham lost his bid for a third full term in 1862 by a relatively large vote. However, his loss was at least
In October 1859,
Vallandigham was always a vigorous supporter of constitutional [[states' rights]].<ref name=nps>[http://www.nps.gov/resources/person.htm?id=111 "Clement L. Vallandigham", National Park Service]</ref> He believed the federal government had no power to regulate any legal institution, which slavery at the time was. He also believed the states had an implied right to [[secede]] and that the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] could not constitutionally be conquered militarily. Vallandigham was a believer in low [[tariff]]s and that slavery was a matter for each state to decide. During the ensuing war, he would become one of [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]]'s most outspoken critics.<ref name=ohc/><ref name=house>[http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36315?ret=True "Representative Clement Vallandigham of Ohio", Historical Highlights, US House of Representatives]</ref>
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