===Anger over primary defeat===
Passman faced few election challenges over the years. In 1970, with 47,172 votes, he easily defeated two challengers, Monroe attorney Paul Henry Kidd, Sr. (1935–2011) and State Representative David Ivy Patten (1923–1998) of Catahoula Parish, who received 15,391 and 13,855, respectively. <ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=670966 LA District 5 - D Primary Race - Aug 15, 1970]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved June 13, 2021.</ref> In 1972, Patten again challenged Passman, as did State Senator Charles M. Brown (1919–1992) of Tallulah in Madison Parish. Passman prevailed that year too with 67,176 votes (60.6 percent), to Brown's 34,314 (30.9 percent) and Patten's 9,299 (8.4 percent).<ref>''Louisiana Almanac,'' 2006.</ref>
In 1976, after thirty years in Congress, Passman faced an unexpected challenger who seemed unlikely to pose a serious problem for his renomination. Jerry Huckaby, a native of Jackson Parish and a 1959 graduate of [[Minden (Louisiana) High School|Minden High School]] in [[Minden, Louisiana|Minden]] in Webster Parish, which was outside the 5th congressional district, had no previous political experience but had been a dairy farmer in Bienville Parish. As an ally of Georgia's [[Jimmy Carter]], who was running strongly in Louisiana at the time, Huckaby upset Passman in the Democratic primary,<ref name=1976primary/> largely because of charges of influence peddling that had engulfed the congressman in his last term in office but which had not yet led to indictment.<ref>''Louisiana History,'' p. 342.</ref>