1990 In
the North Carolina Senate campaign, Republican incumbent JESSE HELMS was
several points behind Democrat HARVEY GANTT in polls taken shortly before
the election.
Over
a weekend, political consultant ALEX CASTELLANOS wrote and produced an ad
called "Hands." Gantt's support of affirmative action had been
identified on surveys as an unpopular position.
The
controversial "Hands" featured a close-up shot of two hands holding
a letter and crumpling it as a narrator says "You needed that job, but they
had to give it to a minority."
Helms
made up the difference in the polls and won re-election.
In the North Carolina Senate campaign, Republican incumbent JESSE HELMS was several points behind Democrat HARVEY GANTT in polls taken shortly before the election.
