Complex sentence: In the 1966 election, Hammerschmidt campaigned for and was elected to the House of Representatives as a representative of Arkansas's third congressional district, defeating the incumbent James William Trimble by over 9,000 votes and becoming the first Republican to represent Arkansas in Congress since Reconstruction.
Split into simpler sentences: In the 1966 election, Hammerschmidt campaigned for and was elected to the House of Representatives as a representative of Arkansas's third congressional district. He defeated the veteran incumbent James William Trimble by over 9,000 votes and became the first Republican to represent Arkansas in Congress since Reconstruction.