Jesse Helms, US Senator
Former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms died today at the age of 86 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The cause of his death has not yet been disclosed. Helms was a conservative icon whose convictions drove him to fight liberalism in the senate. The North Carolina Republican opposed abortion and many civil rights issues, including the bill that gave Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. an honorary national holiday. It was his opposition to such issues that caused many to consider him a racist. In his memoir “Here’s Where I Stand” Helms denied such allocations.
Helms retired after five terms in the senate in 2003. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, “Helms played a pivotal role in moving the Republican Party to the right — changing the GOP from the party of Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller to the party of Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich.”
Whether you agreed or disagreed with his politics, Helms spent his life serving the people. His legacy and his hard work will affect generations to come.
For more on Jesse Helms, visit CNN.com.
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