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For a brief time, Clarke appeared poised for a breakthrough. [[Leander Perez]] of Plaquemines Parish in [[suburb]]an New Orleans was then the chairman of the powerful Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. He opposed  a generous tidelands oil lease settlement offered by the Truman administration and held out for a greater advantage to Louisiana, which never materialized. In a dispute with then Governor [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], Perez threatened to deprive Russell Long, Earl Long's nephew, from securing the official state Democratic nomination. Such a move would have denied Long a place on the Democratic Thurmond column, the ticket with the traditional rooster emblem, which was automatically the choice of tens of thousands of Louisiana voters at the time. Perez toyed with passing the official Democratic mantle to Clem Clarke. Only a deal between Perez and Governor Long kept Russell Long on the Thurmond slate,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://louisianavoice.com/2010/08/11/earls-big-blunder-no-thanks-to-leander-perez/|title=Earl’s big blunder (no thanks to Leander Perez)|publisher=Louisiana Voice|author=Tom Aswell|date=August 11, 2010|accessdate=February 10, 2015}}</ref> which carried the Louisiana [[electoral vote]]. Russell Long subsequently served for thirty-eight years in the Senate until he stepped down in 1987 and was succeeded by fellow Democrat [[John Breaux]].​

For a brief time, Clarke appeared poised for a breakthrough. [[Leander Perez]] of Plaquemines Parish in [[suburb]]an New Orleans was then the chairman of the powerful Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. He opposed  a generous tidelands oil lease settlement offered by the Truman administration and held out for a greater advantage to Louisiana, which never materialized. In a dispute with then Governor [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], Perez threatened to deprive Russell Long, Earl Long's nephew, from securing the official state Democratic nomination. Such a move would have denied Long a place on the Democratic Thurmond column, the ticket with the traditional rooster emblem, which was automatically the choice of tens of thousands of Louisiana voters at the time. Perez toyed with passing the official Democratic mantle to Clem Clarke. Only a deal between Perez and Governor Long kept Russell Long on the Thurmond slate,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://louisianavoice.com/2010/08/11/earls-big-blunder-no-thanks-to-leander-perez/|title=Earl’s big blunder (no thanks to Leander Perez)|publisher=Louisiana Voice|author=Tom Aswell|date=August 11, 2010|accessdate=February 10, 2015}}</ref> which carried the Louisiana [[electoral vote]]. Russell Long subsequently served for thirty-eight years in the Senate until he stepped down in 1987 and was succeeded by fellow Democrat [[John Breaux]].​

Clarke tried to convince Thurmond voters to cast split tickets, then unheard of in Louisiana general elections, and to support him, not Long, for the Senate. Clarke claimed that there were a "lot of shenanigans at the polls, and the split vote that I got where they were voting for Thurmond and for me, I doubt very seriously if they were counted and given to me. ... Of course, a lot of these votes were given to me on account of the anti-Long feeling in Louisiana (yet Earl Long had won the governor's election earlier that same year). I am proud to say that I did carry my home city of Shreveport against Russsell Long."<ref name=interview/> Clark also won in East Baton Rouge, Iberia, and [[Lafayette]] parishes. By plurality, Iberia was the only parish to support Dewey.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Presidential election returns by parish, November 2, 1948</ref>​

Clarke tried to convince Thurmond voters to cast split tickets, then unheard of in Louisiana general elections, and to support him, not Long, for the Senate. Clarke claimed that there were a "lot of shenanigans at the polls, and the split vote that I got where they were voting for Thurmond and for me, I doubt very seriously if they were counted and given to me. ... Of course, a lot of these votes were given to me on account of the [[anti-Long]] feeling in Louisiana (yet Earl Long had won the governor's election earlier that same year). I am proud to say that I did carry my home city of Shreveport against Russsell Long."<ref name=interview/> Clark also won in East Baton Rouge, Iberia, and [[Lafayette]] parishes. By plurality, Iberia was the only parish to support Dewey.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Presidential election returns by parish, November 2, 1948</ref>​

Clarke subsequently worked in the unsuccessful 1956 campaign to elect [[Calhoun Allen|Littleberry Calhoun Allen, Jr.]], to Louisiana's 4th congressional district seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. Then a Republican, Allen, a veteran Navy officer, faced incumbent Democrat [[Thomas Overton Brooks]] (1897-1961), who said that he had "always been a Democrat and am too old to change now." Clarke signed an Allen advertisement which proclaimed: "We Need a Southern Republican."<ref>''The Shreveport Times'', November 4, 1956, p. 2B.</ref> Allen subsequently switched to the Democrats and served two terms as the Shreveport public utilities commissioner, two terms as [[mayor]] under the city commission government, and for a few weeks in 1991 prior to his death as a member of the Shreveport City Council under the current mayor-council format.<ref>L. Calhoun Allen obituary, ''The Shreveport Times'', February 24, 1991.</ref>​

Clarke subsequently worked in the unsuccessful 1956 campaign to elect [[Calhoun Allen|Littleberry Calhoun Allen, Jr.]], to Louisiana's 4th congressional district seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. Then a Republican, Allen, a veteran Navy officer, faced incumbent Democrat [[Thomas Overton Brooks]] (1897-1961), who said that he had "always been a Democrat and am too old to change now." Clarke signed an Allen advertisement which proclaimed: "We Need a Southern Republican."<ref>''The Shreveport Times'', November 4, 1956, p. 2B.</ref> Allen subsequently switched to the Democrats and served two terms as the Shreveport public utilities commissioner, two terms as [[mayor]] under the city commission government, and for a few weeks in 1991 prior to his death as a member of the Shreveport City Council under the current mayor-council format.<ref>L. Calhoun Allen obituary, ''The Shreveport Times'', February 24, 1991.</ref>​