Jesse Helms

Jesse Helms (born 1921) was a Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 1973-2003, and a leader in the conservative movement with special attention to race and foreign policy. He played a major role in the realignment of the white South from a Democratic to a Republican stronghold, especially by bringing bringing religious conservatives into the Republican coalition by an emphasis on social issues, especially opposition to abortion and pornography. An articulate speaker who honed his skills as a radio and television commentator, he built a national grassroots network of financial supporters for the conservative cause. He was reviled by liberals as their bête noire whom they called a racist (a charge he denied).

Bibliography

• Link William A. Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism (2008), the major scholarly biography
• Snider, William D. Helms and Hunt: The North Carolina Senate Race, 1984 (1985) online edition

+ Add to Bookshelf Helms and Hunt: The North Carolina Senate Race, 1984 Book by William D. Snider; University of North Carolina Press, 1985

Primary sources

• Helms, Jesse. Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir (2005)