State Legislatures appointing Senators

[jimrtex]

Senators were appointed by the states until 1918. I don't know exactly why they changed it...

It could distort the legislative election process, with voters supporting legislative candidates on the basis of who they would support for Senate.  

[jimrtex]

The 17th amendment was almost as stupid as the 16th amendment. It was passed because deadlock in state legislatures (i.e. one chamber Republican, one chamber Democrat) left some states without representation.

Not true.  The Congress had regulated the manner in which the legislatures conducted their senatorial elections, such that in the case of a deadlock between the chambers, they would vote jointly.

[jimrtex]

ISecond, this might actually increase interest in statewide elections, which are mostly ignored nowadays.  How many people here can honestly say that they know much about their state legislators?  All the vast majority of people care about today are federal elections.

Alternatively it would convert the legislative elections into contests over which person would be elected Senator.  People would watch the senatorial debate (ala Lincoln-Douglas) and decide who to vote for in the statehouse race, totally ignoring all local issues.