Jesse Helms

Jesse Alexander Helms (born October 18, 1921) is a former five-term Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina.

Senate Career

In 1972, Helms ran for and won a seat in the United States Senate, defeating Nick Galifianakis. During the campaign Helms played up Galifianakis? ethnicity with a slogan of ?Helms: He?s One of Us.? Benefitting from Richard Nixon's landslide re-election, Helms became the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from North Carolina in the twentieth century. In 1978, he successfully defended his seat against state Insurance Commissioner John Ingram. In 1984, in one of the most bitter and expensive contests in North Carolina history, Helms barely retained his seat, defeating Governor Jim Hunt by riding the coatails of President Ronald Reagan. In 1990 and in 1996, Helms won against African-American Harvey Gantt, who had been mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. The 1990 campaign included the infamous "white hands" television ad, in which the hands of a white man crumple a rejection letter while a voice-over says, "You needed that job and you were best qualified. But they had to give it to a racial minority because of a racial quota" supported, according to the ad, by Gantt.

Related Topics:
Nick Galifianakis - Richard Nixon - Jim Hunt - Harvey Gantt - Charlotte, North Carolina

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a senator, Helms became one of the leaders of the increasingly influential conservative movement within the Republican Party, giving Ronald Reagan crucial support in 1976 that paved the way for Reagan to be elected president in 1980. Indeed, to many, Helms was the symbol of the "far Right" and the "Christian Right" in American politics, as well as the epitome of a Southern bigot.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He gained notoriety for controversial comments about homosexuals, the AIDS crisis, and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts for Robert Mapplethorpe. Toward the end of his career, he admitted he had been wrong to oppose AIDS research. Helms was also widely perceived as being hostile to African-Americans, particularly in opposing the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.. In one incident, with Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah as a witness, he sang "Dixie" to then-Senator Carol Moseley-Braun in a Senate elevator, explaining, "I'll keep singing it until she cries." Even Dick Morris, Helms's former campaign manager, admitted believing Helms was a racist.

Related Topics:
AIDS - National Endowment for the Arts - Robert Mapplethorpe - Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Helms became chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee in the 1980s, and was one of Big Tobacco's chief defenders in Congress. Tobacco companies such as RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris have supported him, including giving generously to his Jesse Helms Center at Wingate University. The center was founded in 1987 to promote his views and which currently offers a lecture series.

Related Topics:
RJ Reynolds - Philip Morris - Jesse Helms Center - Wingate University

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Republicans regained control of Congress after the 1994 elections, Helms became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In that role, he pushed for reform of the United Nations and blocked payment of U.N. dues by the United States to get his way.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Particularly as he gained seniority and clout, Helms became known as "Senator No" because he would vehemently and relentlessly obstruct and defeat a variety of "liberal" bills and presidential appointments, by any means necessary.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Helms, who has had recurring health problems including heart disease, did not seek re-election in 2002. His Senate seat was won by Elizabeth Dole, the former Cabinet secretary and wife of former Senator Bob Dole. He is to date the longest-serving popularly elected U.S. senator in North Carolina history.

Related Topics:
Elizabeth Dole - Bob Dole

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~