Texas Republicans experienced increased voter support in the years that followed. Porter became a member of the Republican National Committee and provided crucial support to Dwight Eisenhower during Eisenhower's presidential candidacy in 1952, which enable him to obtain the Republican nomination over his main rival, Robert A. Taft. Eisenhower carried Texas in 1952 and again in 1956. In 1960, the Democrat John F. Kennedy only narrowly won Texas, despite the presence of Johnson on the ticket as his vice presidential running mate. The Republican John Tower won the 1961 special election to replace Johnson in the Senate, a further indication that Porter's 1948 candidacy had put Texas Republicans on the road to viability.