 He encouraged people to write in "Lowell Barron" with the "itty bitty pencils" which his campaign distributed, and his write-in campaign still stands as one of the most successful in American history.While the Senate district contained three counties (DeKalb, Jackson and parts of Madison), he received write-in votes in 26 of Alabama's 67 counties.He was elected by the full Senate as president "pro tempore" for two terms (1999–2007).