Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who once said his job was to derail the freight train of liberalism, died today at the age of 86.
The Jesse Helms Center, a private, non-partisan foundation, announced on its Web site that Helms died at 1:15 a.m. Friday in Raleigh.
According to CNN.com, the Charlotte News & Observer, Helms' hometown newspaper, unofficially dubbed him as one of the creators of the modern Republican Party.
"Helms helped broaden the party to include religious conservatives and people who drank not just Chablis but sweet tea, and who drove not just BMWs but pickup trucks," the paper wrote when he announced his retirement. "In doing so, 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."
President Bush commented on the former senator's death, saying, "Sen. Helms has been a tireless defender of our nation's freedom and a champion of democracy abroad."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment