Former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms passed away this morning from natural causes at the age of 86.
He was a well-known battler of Communists, liberals, and even an occasional Republican. When it comes to political parties, he had sat on both sides of the fence. He started off as a Democrat, but switched parties before his run for the U.S. Senate in 1972. Regardless of what party he was in, he remained a steadfast conservative on most issues, and was well-known for his strong opposition to homosexuality. Also, he was very supportive of America's Christian heritage.
Helms was born on October 18, 1921 in Monroe, North Carolina. He attended Wingate University and Wake Forest University, but did not graduate from either institution. Afterward, his first full-time job was sports reporter with the Raleigh, North Carolina News & Observer. During World War II, he was a recruiter in the U.S. Navy. After the war, he continued with journalism, but also took up politics with the Democratic Party. He helped several conservative Democrats over the years in various campaigns for office. He also worked in television and radio broadcasting at a later time.
In 1972, Helms ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate from North Carolina. He won 60.1 percent of the vote, and went on to defeat Democratic U.S. Congressman Nick Galifianakis of Durham in the general election by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin, becoming the first Republican senator elected in North Carolina in the 20th century. He won every successive election until he chose not to run again in 2002.
Helms is also believed to have been a crucial factor in keeping Ronald Reagan from falling out of the political spectrum. His backing of Reagan in the Presidential campaign of 1976 was crucial in his North Carolina primary. This victory set off a chain reaction of primary victories for Reagan in following crucial states. Until the North Carolina primary, Reagan had not won a single primary, and was $2 million in debt. It is believed that, had Reagan not won North Carolina or the following states, he would have retired to his ranch, and not given it another shot in 1980. The results of that would have been far-reaching, and a serious blow to the conservative movement. Even more importantly, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the economic rise during the late 1980s, and boom of the '90s, would likely not have happened.
"It's just incredible that he would die on July 4, the same day of the Declaration of Independence and the same day that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died, and he certainly is a patriot in the mold of those great men," said former GOP Congressman Bill Cobey today.
Helms was a great statesman for North Carolina, and was a great contributor to the conservative movement. God rest his soul. We need to keep his family in prayer.
"Compromise, hell! ... If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?" - Helms, in a 1959 editorial.
"I reject that criticism because this is indeed another kind of holocaust, by another name. At last count, more than 40 million unborn children have been deliberately, intentionally destroyed. What word adequately defines the scope of such slaughter? [After 9/11] the American people responded with shock, sadness and a deep and righteous anger — and rightly so. Yet let us not forget that every passing day in our country, more than three thousand innocent Americans are killed [through abortion]." - Helms on abortion in his 2005 book, Here's Where I Stand.
"Homosexuals are weak, morally sick wretches." - Helms
"He's a nice guy. He's very pleasant. But ... (as) Ronald Reagan used to say about another politician, `Deep down, he's shallow.'" - Helms on President Bill Clinton
