Changes

Pearce staged a comeback and defeated McCrory in the 1959 primary when anti-Long sentiment was running strongly in the state. McCrory was eliminated from the runoff election as Pearce defeated George W. Shannon, who ran on the intraparty ticket headed by gubernatorial candidate [[Chep Morrison|deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr.]], the then [[mayor]] of New Orleans.<ref>''Minden Herald,'' December 3, 1959; ''Minden Press,'' January 11, 1960.</ref>

Pearce staged a comeback and defeated McCrory in the 1959 primary when anti-Long sentiment was running strongly in the state. McCrory was eliminated from the runoff election as Pearce defeated George W. Shannon, who ran on the intraparty ticket headed by gubernatorial candidate [[Chep Morrison|deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr.]], the then [[mayor]] of New Orleans.<ref>''Minden Herald,'' December 3, 1959; ''Minden Press,'' January 11, 1960.</ref>

McCrory had more success in 1960 when he was a key organizer for the [[John F. Kennedy]]/[[Lyndon B. Johnson]] ticket, which handily carried Louisiana's then ten [[electoral vote]]s. His ties to Kennedy are traced through McCrory's brother-in-law, who was a fellow PT boa] commander with Kennedy during [[World War II]].<ref>W. C. Abbott, Jr.,  "A barefoot boy from Home Villa had a hand in history," ''The Piney Woods Journal,'' accessed May 2,, 2013.</ref> McCrory ran again for agriculture commissioner in 1963 in a primary held two weeks after the assassination of [[John F. Kennedy]], but Pearce was re-nominated and then ran unopposed in the [[general election]] held on March 3, 1964. Pearce also prevailed in 1967 and again in 1971, when he defeated fellow Democrat Earl R. Banks.<ref>Sample ballot, ''[[Minden Press-Herald]]'' November 6, 1971.</ref> He had no [[Republican Party|Republican]] opposition during any of those elections. In the 1971 contest, Pearce's last successful one, he referred to himself in an advertisement as "Louisiana Top Salesman . . . Progressive, Experienced Administrator."<ref>''[[Minden Press-Herald]],'' October 26, 1971, p. 12A.</ref>

McCrory had more success in 1960 when he was a key organizer for the [[John F. Kennedy]]/[[Lyndon B. Johnson]] ticket, which handily carried Louisiana's then ten [[electoral vote]]s. His ties to Kennedy are traced through McCrory's brother-in-law, who was a fellow PT boat commander with Kennedy during [[World War II]].<ref>W. C. Abbott, Jr.,  "A barefoot boy from Home Villa had a hand in history," ''The Piney Woods Journal,'' accessed May 2,, 2013.</ref> McCrory ran again for agriculture commissioner in 1963 in a primary held two weeks after the assassination of [[John F. Kennedy]], but Pearce was re-nominated and then ran unopposed in the [[general election]] held on March 3, 1964. Pearce also prevailed in 1967 and again in 1971, when he defeated fellow Democrat Earl R. Banks.<ref>Sample ballot, ''[[Minden Press-Herald]]'' November 6, 1971.</ref> He had no [[Republican Party|Republican]] opposition during any of those elections. In the 1971 contest, Pearce's last successful one, he referred to himself in an advertisement as "Louisiana Top Salesman . . . Progressive, Experienced Administrator."<ref>''[[Minden Press-Herald]],'' October 26, 1971, p. 12A.</ref>

In 1970, Pearce got into a fistfight with state Senator [[John Schwegmann]] of  Metairie in [[suburb]]an Jefferson Parish after Pearce and Governor McKeithen accused Schwegmann, president of a popular New Orleans grocery firm since sold, of short-weighing meats to his customers.<ref>Leo Honeycutt, ''Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana,'' Lisburn Press, p. 72.</ref>

In 1970, Pearce got into a fistfight with state Senator [[John Schwegmann]] of  Metairie in [[suburb]]an Jefferson Parish after Pearce and Governor McKeithen accused Schwegmann, president of a popular New Orleans grocery firm since sold, of short-weighing meats to his customers.<ref>Leo Honeycutt, ''Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana,'' Lisburn Press, p. 72.</ref>