Editing Allen J. Ellender (section)

==Last campaign, death, and aftermath==
[[File:Allen Joseph Ellender (D–LA).jpg|thumb|right|220px|Ellender late in his career]]
In 1972, the Democratic gubernatorial runner-up from December 1971, former state senator [[J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.]], of Shreveport, challenged Ellender for renomination. Ellender was expected to defeat Johnston, but he died from a heart attack on July 27, aged 81, at [[Bethesda Naval Hospital]].<ref>{{cite news|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1879&dat=19720723&id=QE8fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r9EEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4838,3600524|title = Sen. Allen Ellender Dies of Heart Attack|agency = [[Associated Press]]|newspaper = [[Daytona Beach News-Journal|Daytona Beach Morning Journal]]|date = July 28, 1972|accessdate = May 12, 2022|page = 1}}</ref> Nearly 10 percent of Democratic voters, however, still voted for the deceased Ellender.

The Ellender family endorsed McKeithen in the 1972 general election because of resentment over Johnston's entry into the race against Ellender.<ref>"Tim Ellender, McKeithen's State Campaign Manager, Visits Here", ''Tensas Gazette'', [[St. Joseph, Louisiana|St. Joseph]], Louisiana, October 26, 1972, p. 1.</ref>
Ellender's immediate successor was not Johnston but [[Elaine S. Edwards]], first wife of Governor [[Edwin Edwards]], who was appointed to fill his seat from August 1, 1972, to November 13, 1972. Six days after the election, Johnston was appointed to finish Ellender's remaining term to gain a seniority advantage over other freshman senators.