Did Lincoln Regret Marrying Mary?

[Mike B.]

Mary hurt Lincoln's career than in the short-term because by marrying her, he lost an almost certain Whig nomination to Congress in 1844, because he was now the "candidate of wealth, pride, and aristorcratic institution."
Mike, are you speaking of Lincoln's failure to get re-elected to Congress? In 1846, Lincoln was initially elected to Congress, and was the only Whig, in the Illinois delegation, when he was elected. During his initial and only term to Congress, Lincoln was VERY vocal on his position
on "Spot Resolutions". So vocal in fact, that it earned him the nick-name, "Spotty Lincoln". The power struggles of various issues between the Whigs & Democrats, were ongoing, and peaked at this time, and Lincoln's vocal demand of President Polk's declaration of a valid reason to war with Mexico. Polk supported the Annexing of Texas, claiming that spreading slavery was the underlying reason for his support, yet, when stating the reasons the US should be at war with Mexico, President Polk claimed that Mexico had "invaded" American territory (the actual facts were, General Taylor was in an territory, with US troops under President Polk's orders, which was territory claimed by BOTH the US & Mexico, and 11 Americans were killed. Hardly an "invasion" by Mexico.) Lincoln called President Polk "on the carpet", and joined the position of "Spot resolutions" not because Lincoln agreed or disagreed with the war between the US & Mexico, but because Lincoln, in reality saw that President Polk was dubious in his speech and positions, and reasons for his decisions. Lincoln was vocal about making President Polk accountable for his words, and because of the war, this wasn't a popular position to take, As a result, when Lincoln ran as a Whig for re-election to Congress, he lost. (he later regretted many of the statements he made about President Polk.) Lincoln losing the re-election to Congress, as a Whig, had NOTHING to do with his marriage to Mary Todd.[/u][/i]
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No, you are speaking of something totally different. Lincoln did not run-for election. Stephen Logan was the Whig candidate. And Mark Neely makes a good challenge of your interpreatation. He shows most Lincoln had the median Whig position in his district. When Herndon complained, Lincoln wrote back saying that what he did was the only moral thing to do.
I am talking about the Whig nomination earlier BEFORE Lincoln went to Congress:

He lost the Whig nomination, he felt very much that marrying into the Edwards/Todd clan, he could no longer pose as the Old Abe or "humble Abraham Lincoln" that got him success in the past:

"To Martin S. Morris
Friend Morris: Springfield March 26th. 1843
Your letter of the 23rd. was received on yesterday morning, and for which (instead of an excuse which you thought proper to ask)

I tender you my sincere thanks. It is truly gratifying to me to learn that while the people of Sangamon have cast me off, my old friends of Menard who have known me longest and best of any, still retain there confidence in me. It would astonish if not amuse, the older citizens of your County who twelve years ago knew me a strange[r], friendless, uneducated, penniless boy, working on a flat boat---at ten dollars per month to learn that I have been put down here as the candidate of pride, wealth, and arristocratic family distinction. Yet so chiefly it was....