There were two other candidates, Antonius, the uncle of Mark Antony, and Cicero himself.

Antony was sure of an election, so the struggle was really between Catiline and Cicero.

The latter was elected, owing to the popularity he had acquired by his prosecution of Verres and his defence of the Manilian Law.

Thus Cicero reached the goal for which he had been so long striving.
Caesar was rising at the same time.

The year previous (65) he had been Curule Aedile, had built a row of costly columns in front of the Capitol, and erected a temple to the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux).