U.S. Senate campaigns
In
1972, Johnston challenged the long-term incumbent,
Allen J. Ellender, for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate. Ellender died during the campaign, Johnston defeated Republican Ben C. Toledano, a New Orleans attorney and a former candidate for
Mayor of New Orleans, and former
Governor of Louisiana John McKeithen of
Columbia, Louisiana, a fellow Democrat who ran as an
Independent politician in the general election because the filing period was not reopened upon Ellender's death. McKeithen, the first Louisiana governor to serve two consecutive terms, left office six months prior to the Senate election in order to conduct his campaign. The creation of the interim position was done to swear in Johnston immediately upon certification of his election, allowing him to gain an edge in seniority over other senators who first took office during the
93rd United States Congress. Johnston's freshman classmates included
Joe Biden (D-
Delaware), who served seven terms before being elected as vice president and later President,
Sam Nunn (D-
Georgia), who served four terms,
Jesse Helms (R-
North Carolina), who served five terms, and
Pete Domenici (R-
New Mexico), who served six terms. For a time, Johnston's director of special projects was James Arthur Reeder (1933–2012), a former Shreveport and Washington, D.C., attorney, and owner of a chain of radio stations. Like Johnston, Reeder was later inducted into the
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in the town of
Winnfield, Louisiana. Later Reeder organized voter registration drives in Caddo Parish to empower minority voters. In 2009, Reeder narrated the inaugural parade of U.S. President
Barack Obama. Johnston's closest re-election race was in
1990 against State Representative
David Duke, a former
Ku Klux Klan man and Republican candidate, who was not endorsed by his party's leadership. Louisiana State Senate member
Ben Bagert of New Orleans dropped out of the primary race in a bid to try to prevent a runoff battle between Johnston and Duke. Eight Republican U.S. Senate members endorsed Johnston over Duke. These included
Ted Stevens and
Frank Murkowski of
Alaska,
David Durenberger and
Rudy Boschwitz of
Minnesota,
John Danforth of
Missouri,
William Cohen of
Maine,
Warren Rudman of
New Hampshire, and
Nancy Kassebaum of
Kansas. Former U.S. House of Representatives member
Jack Kemp of
New York, who served as
United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1989 to 1993 during the
Presidency of George H. W. Bush, also endorsed Johnston. Johnston defeated Duke in the primary, 752,902 votes (53.9 percent), to 607,391 votes (43.5 percent), far less than expected. Other candidates took the remaining 35,820 votes (2.5 percent). Johnston retired after his fourth term ended in 1997; he was succeeded by his choice for the seat, fellow Democrat
Mary Landrieu of New Orleans, daughter of former Mayor of New Orleans
Moon Landrieu, who served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1979 to 1981 during the
Presidency of Jimmy Carter. He developed close friendships with Republican Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, while also locking horns with Carter. However, he would also praise
Bill Clinton, who he described as "extremely bright." ==Notable achievements ==