In 1972, he lost the primary for his old House seat by just two votes. In 1974, he lost the primary for state Senate, and in 1976 he ran for Governor of Missouri but lost the primary to Joseph P. Teasdale, coming in sixth place with 1.3% of the vote.
In 1972, he experienced defeat in a House seat primary election by a narrow margin of two votes. In 1974, he lost a Senate primary and in 1976, he ran for Governor of Missouri but came in sixth place with 1.3% of the vote after losing to Joseph P. Teasdale.