Complex sentence: In 1984, Heflin won his second Senate term by handily defeating Republican former U.S. Representative Albert L. Smith Jr., of Birmingham, who had hoped to win by running on the re-election coattails of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1984, Heflin won his second Senate term by handily defeating Republican former U.S. Representative Albert L. Smith Jr., of Birmingham. He had hoped to win by running on the re-election coattails of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan.