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In 1970, Bankston challenged [[conservative]] [[U.S. Representative]] John Richard Rarick (1924-2009) for re-nomination to a third term in the  6th congressional district. A former state court judge, Rarick prevailed, 57,835 votes (58.9 percent) to Bankston's 40,450 (41.1 percent). Rarich was the unopposed in the [[general election]]<ref>''Louisiana Almanac, 2006.''</ref>​ but was ousted in the Democratic primary in 1974.

In 1970, Bankston challenged [[conservative]] [[U.S. Representative]] John Richard Rarick (1924-2009) for re-nomination to a third term in the  6th congressional district. A former state court judge, Rarick prevailed, 57,835 votes (58.9 percent) to Bankston's 40,450 (41.1 percent). Rarich was the unopposed in the [[general election]]<ref>''Louisiana Almanac, 2006.''</ref>​ but was ousted in the Democratic primary in 1974.

In the 1979 [[Governor|gubernatorial]] general election campaign, Bankston obtained a [[censure]] resolution against two failed Democratic candidates [[E. L. "Bubba" Henry]] and Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., both of whom openly endorsed the successful Republican candidate, former Democrat David Treen. Bankston warned Mouton, then an outgoing [[Louisiana State Legislature|state senator]] from [[Lafayette]] and one generally considered to have been a liberal lawmaker, that "if he thinks he is going to get all those people who voted for him in the primary to vote for a Republican, I think he's looking through rose-colored glasses." Bankston questioned whether Treen had agreed to assist in the retirement of Mouton's campaign debts.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' November 14, 1979, p. 1.</ref> Bankston blamed confusion over the certification of Democratic candidate [[Louis Lambert]] in part to the competition between the [[Associated Press]] and [[United Press International]] in attempting to be the first to report the ballot tabulations. The Democratic committee did not censure two other Democratic gubernatorial candidates who backed Treen, outgoing Secretary of State Paul Jude Hardy, later the first Republican to serve as lieutenant governor of Louisiana since [[Reconstruction]] and outgoing Lieutenant Governor [[Jimmy Fitzmorris]] because their support for Treen came after the committee had met.

In the 1979 [[Governor|gubernatorial]] general election campaign, Bankston obtained a [[censure]] resolution against two failed Democratic candidates [[E. L. "Bubba" Henry]] and Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., both of whom openly endorsed the successful Republican candidate, former Democrat David Treen. Bankston warned Mouton, then an outgoing [[Louisiana State Legislature|state senator]] from [[Lafayette]] and one generally considered to have been a liberal lawmaker, that "if he thinks he is going to get all those people who voted for him in the primary to vote for a Republican, I think he's looking through rose-colored glasses." Bankston questioned whether Treen had agreed to assist in the retirement of Mouton's campaign debts.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' November 14, 1979, p. 1.</ref> Bankston blamed confusion over the certification of Democratic candidate [[Louis Lambert]] in part to the competition between the [[Associated Press]] and [[United Press International]] in attempting to be the first to report the ballot tabulations. The Democratic committee did not censure two other Democratic gubernatorial candidates who backed Treen, outgoing Secretary of State Paul Jude Hardy, later the first Republican to serve as lieutenant governor of Louisiana since [[Reconstruction]] and the then outgoing Lieutenant Governor [[Jimmy Fitzmorris]] because their support for Treen came after the committee had met.

In 1982, Bankston was unseated, 56 to 44 percent, from the BESE board by his fellow Democrat, former State Representative Lillian Walker Walker (1923-2016), also of Baton Rouge.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 2, 1982.</ref>​

In 1982, Bankston was unseated, 56 to 44 percent, from the BESE board by his fellow Democrat, former State Representative Lillian Walker Walker (1923-2016), also of Baton Rouge.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 2, 1982.</ref>​

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===Bankston on the Democrat future===​

===Bankston on the Democratic future===​

In a printed interview in 1980, Bankston said that the Louisiana Democratic Party apparatus was in excellent condition despite having lost the governorship for the first time since 1872:

In a printed interview in 1980, Bankston said that the Louisiana Democratic Party apparatus was in excellent condition despite having lost the governorship for the first time since 1872:

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