Sentence:  In 1949 the Dixiecrats escaped unscathed after their 1948 rebellion against Harry Truman , and in 1957 , after Congressman Adam Clayton Powell <WSD>campaigned</WSD> for Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 , his fellow Democrats did not touch his committee assignments , although they did strip him temporarily of his patronage . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for