His colleagues included fellow Representative R. Harmon Drew Sr., future Governor Buddy Roemer and later Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner James H. "Jim" Brown.

In a campaign appearance in Minden in Webster Parish, Jenkins vowed to secure funds for the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, which has since closed, and Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City.

He questioned why Johnston had voted to divert intrastate natural gas from Louisiana industries to residential areas in such states as New York and Ohio.

There the two endorsed proposed constitutional amendments to halt forced bussing for the purpose of desegregating public schools and to require the election, instead of presidential appointment and U.S. Senate confirmation, of U.S. judges.

The political careers of Jenkins and Baker actually began on the same day thirty-four years earlier in 1972, when both were freshman Democratic members of the East Baton Rouge Parish state House delegation.

Jenkins received the endorsements of Pat Toomey's Club for Growth Political Action Committee,[7] and Dr. James Dobson,[8] founder of Focus on the Family.

[10][11] In the primary, he faced Paul Sawyer, Baker's congressional aide,[12] Laurinda L. Calongne, president of Robert Rose Consulting;[13] and Michael Cloonan, a veteran of the United States Navy from East Feliciana Parish.

[14] Jenkins led in public opinion polls prior to the primary but fell eighty-four votes short of an outright majority to win the GOP nomination.

[17] In Congress, Senator David Vitter and the three Republicans in Louisiana's House delegation – Jim McCrery, Rodney Alexander, and Charles Boustany endorsed Jenkins.