Changes

Speedy Long faced a much stronger Republican candidate than was usually offered in the district because of the popularity in Louisiana of the presidential nominee, Senator [[arry M. Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]]. Retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel [[William Stewart Walker]] of Winnfield, who had earlier lost a state senate race to W. L. Rambo by a decisive margin, appeared strong as the Republican congressional nominee. At the [[Republican National Convention]] in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], in fact, Walker secured the endorsement of former President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Walker won Rapides Parish, which includes Alexandria and [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], with 51.4 percent of the vote and nearly won Winn Parish, which was both Walker's home parish as well as the traditional center of the Long dynasty. Walker received 27,735 votes (45.5 percent) to Speedy Long's 33,250 (54.5 percent).

Speedy Long faced a much stronger Republican candidate than was usually offered in the district because of the popularity in Louisiana of the presidential nominee, Senator [[arry M. Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]]. Retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel [[William Stewart Walker]] of Winnfield, who had earlier lost a state senate race to W. L. Rambo by a decisive margin, appeared strong as the Republican congressional nominee. At the [[Republican National Convention]] in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], in fact, Walker secured the endorsement of former President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Walker won Rapides Parish, which includes Alexandria and [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], with 51.4 percent of the vote and nearly won Winn Parish, which was both Walker's home parish as well as the traditional center of the Long dynasty. Walker received 27,735 votes (45.5 percent) to Speedy Long's 33,250 (54.5 percent).

==Long in Congress=

==Long in Congress==

Speedy Long quickly established his hold on the Eighth District. He hired the lawyer [[Ted Jones|Theodore "Ted" Jones]] as his first executive assistant, but Jones soon left to join the McKeithen administration. As he had promised, Long voted conservatively in Congress, sometimes in line with the Republican leadership under the direction of a future president, [[Gerald Ford]]. Long was reelected to the House in 1966, when he defeated State Representative Larry Parker in the party primary, 1968, and 1970. In the latter year, he defeated in the Democratic primary [[John K. Snyder]], later the mayor of Alexandria, 59,032 to 24,112.

Speedy Long quickly established his hold on the Eighth District. He hired the lawyer [[Ted Jones|Theodore "Ted" Jones]] as his first executive assistant, but Jones soon left to join the McKeithen administration. As he had promised, Long voted conservatively in Congress, sometimes in line with the Republican leadership under the direction of a future president, [[Gerald Ford]]. Long was reelected to the House in 1966, when he defeated State Representative Larry Parker in the party primary, 1968, and 1970. In the latter year, he defeated in the Democratic primary [[John K. Snyder]], later the mayor of Alexandria, 59,032 to 24,112.