He opposed Long's attempt in a special session to remove Theo Cangelosi of Baton Rouge from the chairmanship of the Louisiana State University board of trustees.
[2] In 1960, after he had left the legislature, Holt was a member of the Louisiana State Democratic Central Committee and allied with the forces opposed to the Kennedy-Johnson ticket.
[6] In the summer of 1960, Holt ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary election for the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 8th congressional district, since disbanded because of population loss.
Long died a few days after his final election victory; the seat still went to McSween, who was chosen as the party nominee by the Democratic State Central Committee, of which Holt was a member.
[9] Ben Holt's widow was the former Joyce Ivoyne Lemmons (September 30, 1926 – January 24, 2016), a Pollock native who resided in Tioga in Rapides Parish.