"Senator Ellender was a good man and a fantastic senator for this great state. Without his leadership and legislative skills, it is unlikely that Louisiana would be where it is today. He was a man of consensus and a man of action. He made sure to support the interests of the people of this state even when the tides of the nation were shifting. Till the end he was a Senator who cared most about the people of his state."
-Governor Edwin W. Edwards remarks at the funeral of Senator Allen J. Ellender, May 19, 1973.
It must have been just hours after the passing of Louisiana's great Cajun Senator Allen J. Ellender. Elaine Edwards couldn't believe that her husband was already talking about the future of the Senate seat. But lo and behold the great Governor Edwards could not bear to allow a great political oppurtunity slip by.
It had been common knowledge for quite some time that the Senator had been in bad health. But nonetheless he had decided to run just one last time. His chief opposition had come from State Senator J. Bennet Johnston, a reform minded moderate. Ellender had long been an untouchable force in Louisiana politics. He had a strong base of support among poorer voters, especially the Cajun population in the south of the state. But Johnston, seeing Ellender's age as a weakness, decided to take on the old stalwart. Attacking him for his "out of touch" voting record, Johnston did his best to make the Senator's age an issue without being upfront about it. Most of Ellender's campaigning was done by surrogates around the state, though he lacked the support of one major figure. Governor Edwin Edwards, a foreward thinking populist, had been on fairly good standing with Johnston since their showdown for the governor's office just a year earlier. The two had gotten along quite well, and even though Ellender and Edwards shared Cajun roots, the Governor would have preffered to see Johnston prevail.
Despite Johnston's tough challenge, Ellender narrowly squeeked out a victory. Riding a wave of support from the south of the state, the feeble Ellender would prevail by a margin of 45%-41%, with the rest of the vote going to minor candidates. In the general election, Ellender would easily prevail over Republican Nominee Ben Toledano. However just a few months after being sworn in (and preserving his status as President Pro Tem of the Senate), Ellender would pass away. It would be up to Governor Edwards to find a replacement until the next election in 1978. Ultimately there were two choices for the Governor. The obvious one would be Johnston. After all, he had narrowly lost the primary, and was a rising political star in the state. But this wasn't what Edwards had in mind. Johnston was young, and could conceivably remain there for a very long time. The second choice, while far less noble, would be the politically smart one. Therefore, when the Governor announced that his wife, Elaine Edwards, would fill the vacany, it may have surprised outsiders. But for anyone who knew Edwin Washington Edwards, it was no surprise at all.

Governor Edwards and the new Senator from Louisiana celebrating at the Governor's Mansion