[2] When he moved out of his parents' house, he settled in Solomonville, Arizona (now called Solomon), where he was a rancher and a farmer.

[14][15] He won the Democratic primary over A. E. Jacobson by an overwhelming majority, 1,013 to 248,[16] and he followed that up with a landslide victory over Socialist Party's candidate, Lorenzo Watson, 1,637 to 240.

Going into the 3rd Arizona State Legislature, he was one of several candidates being spoken of to become the next president of the senate, representing the conservative wing of the Democratic Party.

[3] However, in June the election was contested in court, due to a question of the length of the terms of the existing commissioners.

[26] He was considered a strong candidate to repeat as the president of the senate, however political considerations led to him withdrawing from the race.

However, when the commissioner position was not to be contested, both Lines and Peterson withdrew from senate race to clear the way for Claridge.

As the 4th Arizona State Legislature was being organized in January 1919, both were considered the front runners for the speakership of the house.