[4] In 1971, Lipscomb ran for the 6th District State Senate seat vacated when Martin J. Schreiber was elected Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin.
[6] In a racially charged atmosphere, Lipscomb (who had said the 60%-black district deserved a black senator "but not yet, because I'm running") lost the Democratic nomination to long-time community activist Monroe Swan, who mustered a plurality in a three-way race, with 3256 votes for Swan, 2729 for Lipscomb, and 987 for Roger Hansen.
[7][8] Lipscomb unsuccessfully challenged the primary results, alleging fraud, including assertions that Hansen (a white bakery employee) was a fraudulent candidate recruited and supported by the Swan campaign to dilute the white vote in the race in return for money or a job.
[11] Lipscomb returned to the practice of law; he has served as a local prosecutor in River Hills and Brown Deer.
He remained on the governing board of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; and in 1979 made an unsuccessful bid to election as a Milwaukee County circuit court judge.
[12] In 1992, he lost a tight three-way primary contest for the Democratic nomination to the 23rd Assembly District seat, coming in second to eventual victor John La Fave.