Hughes' 1978 gubernatorial candidacy was a long-shot, and he had a hard time recruiting a running mate; Bogley was reportedly the tenth person he asked.

[2] For his second term, Hughes chose Sen. J. Joseph Curran Jr. as his running mate and Bogley ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary with gubernatorial candidate Sen. Harry McGuirk.

In September 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to serve on the Merit Systems Protection Board.

[5] Bogley received a one-year recess appointment to the board in November 1988, good until the next congressional adjournment.

[9] When asked about the purpose of his candidacy at his advanced stage in life, Bogley stated that he simply added his name to the ballot "to provide a choice to my fellow generation of Democrats".