Swope was appointed aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel on the staff of Governor Edwin P. Morrow in 1919, before resuming the practice of law. He was the chairman of the Republican executive committee of Fayette County, Kentucky, from 1928 to 1931, and was appointed and subsequently elected a judge of the circuit court of the twenty-second judicial district of Kentucky and served from 1931 to 1940. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of Kentucky in 1935 and 1939.
Swope was appointed chief of staff with the rank of colonel on the staff of Governor Edwin P. Morrow in 1919, before returning to law practice. He served as chairman of the Republican executive committee of Fayette County, Kentucky, from 1928 to 1931, and was appointed and re-elected a judge of the circuit court of the twenty-second judicial district of Kentucky and served from 1931 to 1940. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Kentucky in 1935 and 1939.