Conversation so far:
What led up to him losing his seat in the senate?
Gruening won the bitterly fought primary, with about 55 percent of the vote to Gravel's 44 percent.
Why did that happen?
As an insurgent candidate in 1968, Gravel had never established a firm party base.

Question: What did he do instead?
Self-contained rewrite: What did Mike Gravel do instead of establishing a firm party base?