In 1933, McKnight was convicted of larceny and sentenced to two years in the Middlesex House of Correction. He was granted early release for good behavior but he refused in order to delay his move to Charlestown State Prison. In 1933, Bishop began conducting a number of gambling raids. On August 26, 20 state troopers raided the Middlesex Motor Club in Lexington and seized illegal gambling equipment and liquor. The following day, Bishop personally led a raid of the Hamilton Club in Everett, which led to two arrests on liquor charges. On September 7, 300 slot machines were seized from the premises of the American Candy Company in Cambridge. In 1934, Bishop was reelected over Lowell, Massachusetts mayor James J. Bruin 176,583 votes to 145,549. In 1936, Bishop nol prosed an assault and battery by means of dangerous weapons case against Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt and Peter de Florez. On March 8, 1937, Bishop announced that he was forming his own detective bureau and requested that all state detectives in the county be removed. This action came after state Public Safety Commissioner Paul G. Kirk Sr. moved a state detective assigned to the DA’s office against Bishop's wishes. On February 7, 1935, Bishop announced his candidacy for Governor of Massachusetts in the 1936 election. He ran on a platform of "rigid adherence to Constitutional principles", cooperation with industrial enterprises, creation of government-funded old age pensions, job creation, removing barriers to industry, and a sound tax system. On April 17, 1936 he fired his lead assistant, Frank G. Volpe, accusing him of "disloyalty". According to Volpe, he was dismissed because he refused to "go on the stump for him as Governor" as Volpe's former boss, Robert T. Bushnell, was also a candidate in the race. Bishop ran well behind the Republican frontrunners John W. Haigis and Leverett Saltonstall and dropped out of the race before the party convention. In June 1938, Robert F. Bradford announced that he would challenge Bishop for district attorney. Shortly thereafter, a group of Republican leaders, former district attorneys, and lawyers including Robert Bushnell, Frank Volpe, Sinclair Weeks, Daniel Needham, and Benjamin Loring Young announced that they would support Bradford for District Attorney "as a public duty and necessity". Former state party chairman George G. Tarbell resigned from the Republican state committee to serve as Bradford's campaign treasurer. During his campaign Bradford criticized Bishop for trying a low number of cases (19 in 8 years), no-prossing almost 20% of the cases in his jurisdiction, and replacing the state police with his own force that included his son (who was still in school) and other untrained individuals.