Tarheel Legend: Jesse Helms Profile
W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 21 -- In his nearly three decades in Congress, Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, a journalist-turned-politician, has built a well-earned reputation as one of the Senate's most conservative lawmakers.
The Republican was first elected to the Senate in 1972, and he quickly became known as an ideological purist.
Called "Senator No" by some, Helms has consistently argued against the United Nations, communism, government spending, welfare, arms control and foreign aid. He has at times been pro-military, and often derisive on topics and people he opposed, including Martin Luther King Jr. and homosexuality.
But Helms is also a courteous Southern gentleman. He rarely ducks from talking to reporters and once advised a young reporter navigating the marble floors of the Capitol to buy more comfortable shoes.
Anti-Government Philosophy
Railing against the reach of government has been a favorite cause for Helms, except on moral issues. In those cases, Helms believes government deserves to be a player.
"Big government cannot and will not solve the multitude of problems confronting our nation … because big government is the problem," he told the North Carolina General Assembly in 1997.
Helms has consistently won re-election by appealing to conservative, mostly white, rural North Carolinians. Throughout his service in public office, he has kept close ties to the religious right and made several appearances on the shows of televangelists Jim Bakker and Pat Robertson.
In 1982, Helms fell short of pushing through measures that would have stripped the Supreme Court jurisdiction over cases involving abortion, school prayer and school busing. He has voted to outlaw or restrict abortion and eliminate the use of busing for school integration. He also tried to do away with food stamps.
In 1989, Helms became embroiled in a national debate over homoerotic photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano's photograph of a crucifix in a a glass of urine. Both were on display at an exhibit funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Helms tried without success to get Congress to pass a bill that banned federal funding for "obscene" art.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live