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RICHARD NIXON in Episode 196 JOHN JENRETTE OUR CONGRESSMAN and JIMMY CARTER too (Part 6) The Races for Congress 1972 & 1974 (John McMillan, DC Home-rule, Ed Young and Richard Nixon)
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In this episode , we look back at the high drama of winning a historic primary and unseating a political giant, only to lose in the general election. Then coming back two years later to finally win a seat in the United States House of Representatives. It was a rollercoaster of a ride with enormously consequential side stories that had far reaching importance.
For the 1972 race for the 6th District Congressional Seat would open the door for the City of Washington D.C. to finally have some semblance of self governing. For years, John McMillan who chaired the committee that governed the District had prevented any form of self rule , save the schoolboard, from getting out of his committee. African Americans had decided that the only way to achieve this goal was to unseat McMillan, and they would organize to try it twice, in 1970 when they lost and again in 1972. This time they had a strong candidate and they knew it. John Jenrette was young, talented, and had been a friend to the African American Community for years.
We will listen as John Jenrette tells the story of how he got in the race, and why he decided to stay in the race even when he had only a 3% name identification in the district. He would get help from Muhammad Ali, the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. He would get help from his cousin the State Senator, James Stevens, and the race would be razor thin but John Jenrette would win.
Then he would face State Representative Ed Young, a Republican, who would get help from John McMillan and many other disgruntled Democrats. He would also have another ace up his sleeve, one of the greatest leaders in American History, Richard Nixon. It would prove to be a mountain to high for John Jenrette to climb and Ed Young would get elected to Congress.
But two years later all of that would change.
NOTE: This show features my proudest researching find, the meeting between President Richard Nixon, 6th District Republican nominee Ed Young , and Nixon aid Harry Dent from South Carolina, from the Nixon taping system.
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