There comes a moment in a political campaign – if you’re fortunate – when for one moment the stars align and you can see with almost clairvoyant certainty exactly what the campaign is all about and how to win – that moment came for us in December of 1983: We knew Jesse’s campaign was about Jim Hunt’s character.

In January Hunt blanketed the airwaves with warm and fuzzy ads but in one ad he took a back-handed slap at Jesse, saying with the earnestness only Hunt could muster, The senator from North Carolina – he’s not the senator from New York or California – he should be the Senator fighting for North Carolina – what Hunt was talking about was the money Jesse was raising outside the state but that burst of sanctimony turned out to be a near-fatal blunder because Hunt was doing the same thing. Worse for Hunt, Bob Harris had gotten his hands on an invitation to a fundraiser in Manhattan hosted by The New York Committee to Elect Jim Hunt.

When Bob saw Hunt’s ad he faxed the invitation to Earl Ashe (who made the Congressional Club’s TV ads) and Earl wrote a script that went like this:

Opening Scene: Earl played Hunt saying that line from his ad.

Second Scene: Earl showed the invitation from the New York Committee.

And the announcer asked: So what is the New York Committee to Elect Jim Hunt?

Then the announcer chuckled: Isn’t that the darnedest thing you ever heard?

Last Scene: Earl put up Jim Hunt’s address.

And the announcer said, Got a pencil and paper handy? Write Jim Hunt and ask him: What is the New York Committee to Elect Jim Hunt?

When people saw that ad they started laughing at Hunt, which is about the most fatal a thing that can happen to a politician.

Then Hunt tripped again.

At a press conference a reporter asked, Well, Governor, what is the New York Committee to Elect Jim Hunt?

Gushing earnestness Hunt waxed eloquent saying it was young people from North Carolina who lived in Manhattan who’d held a fundraiser for him.

Well, Earl filmed Hunt’s press conference and put that piece of videotape in an ad too. And it was devastating.

He played Hunt saying the New York Committee was young people from New York.

Then slowly zoomed in on the invitation showing the names of New York Governor Mario Cuomo and New York City Mayor Ed Koch, the event co-hosts.

Then the announcer asked, Mario Cuomo, Ed Koch – young people from North Carolina?

This time people didn’t laugh they howled.

By June 1^st Jesse was only six months behind Jim Hunt and that month we did something no one has ever done before or since in North Carolina – five months before the election we spent a million dollars on TV ads, figuring if we caught Hunt we’d be able to outspend him the last four months and make it all but impossible for him to beat Jesse.

And it worked: On June 30^th Jesse was 2 points ahead of Hunt.

Then the floor fell out from under us and we dropped 12 points in the polls.

To be continued… Gays and Death Squads.

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