Walter Huss
Walter Huss | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the Oregon Republican Party | |
| In office August, 1978[1] – April 30, 1979[2] | |
| Preceded by | Steve Young[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1918 |
| Died | 2006 (aged 87–88) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Rosalie Huss |
Walter L. Huss (1918 – 2006) was a fundamentalist minister,[2] anticommunist activist,[3] and newspaper publisher[4] who served as chairman of the Oregon Republican Party between August 1978 and April 1979. Huss ran multiple times for statewide office in Oregon as a Republican, but never won a primary.
Career
1966 United States Senate campaign
In 1966 Huss ran in the Republican primary for Oregon's Class 2 senate seat. He finished second behind Mark Hatfield, who went on to win the general election. Hatfield was an opponent of the Vietnam War, which Huss supported.[5]
Hatfield: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Chair of Oregon Republican Party
On August 5th, 1978 at a GOP organizational meeting in Bend, Oregon, Huss defeated incumbent Oregon party chair Steve Young in a delegate vote by a margin of 51 to 44.[2] His candidacy for chair was supported by conservative activists.[3] Less than 8 months later (on March 16, 1978), Huss announced his intention to resign effective April 30th of that year, under pressure from fellow conservatives who felt he had been insufficiently focused on his job as chair.[2]
During Huss's tenure as chair, he repeatedly clashed with moderates in the party. At one point, moderate Republicans including secretary of state Norma Paulus and state treasurer Clay Myers organized a rival organization, the Council of Elected Republicans, to raise funds without going through the state party.[1] Huss also came under fire for saying he preferred candidates who were Christians. Accused of antisemitism for these comments by the likes of Republican gubernatorial nominee Victor Atiyeh, Huss denied any ill intent, saying in part that "one of my best friends is a Jew — Jesus Christ."[4]
1980 Oregon senate campaign
Instead of running for office in 1980, Huss campaigned for his wife, Rosalie, who ran in the Republican primary against incumbent senator Bob Packwood.[6] Packwood won both the primary and the general.
1982 Oregon gubernatorial campaign
In 1982 Huss ran against incumbent governor Victor Atiyeh in the Republican gubernatorial primary.[7] Atiyeh won both the primary and the general elections.
References
- ^ a b Turner, Wallace (February 19, 1979). "OREGON G.O.P. SPLIT OVER PARTY LEADER". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Fundamentalist Minister Resigns As Chairman of Oregon's G.O.P." The New York Times. March 18, 1979. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ a b Schultz, William (2021). "The Rise and Fall of "No Special Rights"" (PDF). Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
In 1978, for example, conservative activists succeeded in electing Walter Huss as chairman of the state GOP. Huss had previously been the leader of the Freedom Center, a Portland-based organization so stridently anti-communist that it clashed with the John Birch Society.
- ^ a b Cannon, Lou (October 5, 1978). "Fundamentalist Cleric Altering Oregon's GOP". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Oregon: one war foe loses, another wins". The Miami News. May 25, 1966. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Mrs. Huss to run". The Register-Guard. AP. December 28, 1979. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "OREGON'S GOVERNOR LEADING 6 IN POLLS". The New York Times. May 18, 1982. Retrieved 9 April 2024.