 McCreary 's senate term was set to expire in 1908 , the same year as Beckham 's second term as governor . Desiring election to the Senate following his gubernatorial term , Beckham persuaded his Democratic allies to choose the party 's nominees for governor and senator by a primary election held in 1906 – a year before the gubernatorial election and two years before the senatorial election . This ensured that the primary would occur during his term as governor , when he still wielded significant influence within the party . McCreary now allied himself with J. C. S. Blackburn , Henry Watterson , and other Beckham opponents , and sought to defend his seat in the primary . During the primary campaign , he pointed to his record of dealing with national issues , contrasting it with Beckham 's youth and inexperience at the national level . Beckham countered by citing his strong stand in favor of Prohibition , as opposed to McCreary 's more moderate position , and by touting his support of a primary election instead of a nominating convention , which he said gave the voters a choice in who would represent them in the Senate . Ultimately , Beckham prevailed in the primary by an 11 @,@ 000 @-@ vote margin , rendering McCreary a lame duck with two years still left in his term . 
