If Jesse Helms were alive, would he be supporting the gubernatorial candidacy of Mark Robinson, the state’s current lieutenant governor?
Helms, who died on July 4, 2008, was North Carolina’s longest serving U.S. senator (1973-2003).

D.G. Martin

In “Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism,” William Link, retired professor at the University of Florida, followed Helms from his birth and youth in Monroe to the time of his announced retirement from the senate. Helms noted that if reelected in 2002, “he would finish his term at age 88, and this was something that my family and I unanimously decided I should not do, and ladies and gentlemen, I shall not.”
His fellow senator Joe Biden described him as “one of the most thoughtful, considerate and gracious senators I have ever served with.”
Somehow, Helms was able to cover his extreme right-wing views with a genuine, at least seemingly genuine, personal respect for his political adversaries.
On the other hand, Mark Robinson is usually unable or unwilling to apply a soft touch to his conservative feelings.
An online article by Ryan Adamczeski in the Advocate dated March 6, 2024, gave a sample of Robinson’s provocative statements:
• Robinson said during a 2021 sermon that “there’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth. And yes, I called it filth,” he doubled down. “And if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.”
• Robinson accused former first lady Michelle Obama of secretly being a transgender woman, referring to her as “he” in a 2017 Facebook post where he called her an “anti-American, abortion and gay marriage supporting, liberal leftist elitist. I’ll be glad when he takes his boyfriend and leaves the White House.”
• Robinson said in other posts that Obama speaks “ghetto” and “wookie,” and that she emanates “the stench of human waste.”
• In another Facebook post, Robinson said that Black people who vote for Democrats are “slaves” being controlled by the Democratic National Committee. “Half of black Democrats don’t realize they are slaves and don’t know who their masters are,” he wrote. “The other half don’t care.”
• In yet another Facebook post, Robinson likened LGBTQ+ rights to pedophilia, and said that people being gay is leading to the collapse of society. We have pushed homosexuality over the top. Mark my words PEDOPHILLA (sic) is next, which will be closely followed by the END of civilization as we know it.”
Although Helms might have agreed with much of what Robinson said, he would have been careful not to incite his readers and listeners unnecessarily. Would he have been willing to support Robinson for governor?
I don’t know. But according to Link, Helms was a longtime and genuine segregationist as shown by his reluctance as a church official to seat Blacks seeking to attend his church.
Link writes, “In the 1950s Helms also opposed the integration of churches. As an usher and deacon at Raleigh’s First Baptist Church, he refused to seat black people and warned other ushers about this as the ‘potential problem’ he even threatened to resign, should the church seek to seat black visitors.”
So, would Helms be able to set aside his own segregationist views and any worries about Robinson’s rough communications methods to support someone like Robinson?
Probably so.
Times are changing.

D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s “North Carolina Bookwatch.”