I’m running for the kingdom of heaven,” Sen. Jesse Helms declared in a Post interview in 1982. “Hope I make it.”
Helms was campaigning in Rowan County for congressional hopeful Harris Blake at the time. Two years from his own re-election, Helms declined to verify that he would run for the Senate again in 1984.
He just said he was running for the kingdom of heaven, and then lit up a Lucky Strike —good North Carolinian that he is.
The Lucky Strike days are behind Helms, now 79, and so are the days of hitting the campaign trail. He announced last week that he would not seek a sixth term.
The first impact of his decision on Rowan County was the horde of reporters that then descended on South Fulton Street and Elizabeth Dole’s childhood home. Would she run for Helms’ seat, as has been suggested? Could she legitimately establish herself as a North Carolina resident?
I have a feeling her residency is going to be in the eye of the beholder. Fans will embrace her as a full-time North Carolinian. Foes will not.
All I know is that she’s been a pretty regular resident of the Post’s news pages.
But before we go too far down that road, let’s backtrack a little and peruse Post files. What’s Jesse Helms’ record in Rowan County?
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His most infamous visit probably came in October 1984, in the midst of his historic race against Jim Hunt.
It was Helms’ 63rd birthday, and he celebrated it in a city of contrasts. He got cake and singing at the Republican headquarters in downtown Salisbury, and a warm reception at a gathering at John Carter’s home.
But in between he got the silent treatment at Livingstone College.
Livingstone students lined a campus walkway in a protest of Helms’ visit. Never one to back down from his beliefs, Helms proceeded with his speech in a sparsely filled auditorium.
He defended his record of slashing student loans, voting against a federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and opposing the extension of the Voting Rights Act. Helms said the holiday would cost some $12 million, and he asked the audience if they wouldn’t rather be using that holiday to earn money for themselves.
“The Democratic Party has been jerking you around for 35 years,” Helms said, urging the audience to “wake up and smell the coffee.”
But the students weren’t sniffing.
As he left, Helms approached the line of interlocked, silent students and extended his hand for a handshake. The students stared straight ahead. After an uncomfortable silence, Helms turned for his waiting car saying, “Just the same, I love you. Hang in there.”
Rowan has proved to be solid, Helms-loving country, so the incident may have done more to damage Livingstone’s reputation in the community than Helms’. But both sides stood firm for what they believed in. According to Helms fans, you can’t fault anyone for that.
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Helms made so many campaign stops in Rowan County in 1984 that he might have qualified as a resident. Running against Jim Hunt, he was taking nothing for granted. He was always on-message, judging by the headlines:
“Helms: Don’t underestimate Demos” (That’s headlinese for “Democrats.”)
“Helms: Left-wingers want him out”
Looking back, you wonder what he was worried about. Reagan was in the White House; it was still morning in America. Jim Martin was about to be elected governor.
But someone with views as strong as Helms’ can never expect an easy go of it. Remember President Bush running as a unifier? Helms ran as a divider, and without apology. That’s a hard way to get to heaven, but that’s Jesse Helms’ way.
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