Complex sentence: With the support of his close friend Sen. John Tower and with an amiable personality, Eggers ran aggressive races in both 1968 and 1970 and came closer to winning the governorship than any Republican since Reconstruction in the 1870s.
Split into simpler sentences: With the support of his close friend, Sen. John Tower, and with an amiable personality, Eggers ran aggressive races in both 1968 and 1970. He came closer to winning the governorship than any Republican since Reconstruction in the 1870s.