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A charge was made in a letter circulated in local Republican circles that Harris had been involved in illegal silver trading transactions. The same letter blasted Jones for endorsing Harris’ candidacy, saying that by doing so he had demonstrated he was unfit to represent the area, in the Senate. Harris immediately sued the writers of the letter, who eventually acknowledged that the charge was groundless. Rut the matter left Harris’ campaign in shambles, and he withdrew from the race.
While all this was going on, former Del. Robert E. Russell of Chester announced he would oppose Jones for the Senate nomination. Russell had served a oneyear term in the House from 19*2 until 19S3, when he was defeated by Democrat John G. ’“Chip" Dicks.
In his Senate campaign, however, Russell had the powerful support of former GOP National Committeewoman Judy Peachee, party treasurer William Hurd and, as it turned out, the Moral Majority and local antiabortion activists. Jones supporters strongly suspected that the letter attacking Harris was really intended to lay the groundwork for the Russell candidacy by associating Jones with Harris’ alleged illegal activities.
In any event, in one of the upsets of the decade, Russell defeated Jones in the June primary. Political observers give the activities of the Moral Majority and anti-abortion activists the weekend before the election much of the credit for the Russell win.
The C)7th Legislative District Republican Committee, in the meanwhile, had not found a candidate to replace Harris as the GOP House of Delegates candidate. With J ines’ defeat, the committee named him to run for his old seat. It was then that the
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