John B. Anderson - Political Career

Political Career

Soon after his return, Anderson was approached about running for public office. In 1956, Anderson was elected State's Attorney in Winnebago County, Illinois, first winning a four-person race in the April primary by 1300 votes and then the general election in November by 11,000 votes. After serving for one term, he was ready to leave that office when the local US Congressman unexpectedly stepped down in 1959. Anderson joined the race with four other contenders. He won first the primary (by 5900 votes) in April and then the general election (by 45,000 votes) in November. He served in the United States House of Representatives in the solidly Republican 16th District of Illinois for ten terms, from 1961 to 1981.

Initially, Anderson was among the most conservative members of the Republican caucus. Three times (in 1961, 1963, and 1965) in his early terms as a Congressman, Anderson introduced a constitutional amendment to attempt to "recognize the law and authority of Jesus Christ" over the United States. The bills died quietly, but came back to haunt Anderson in his presidential candidacy.

As he continued to serve, the atmosphere of the 1960s weighed on Anderson and he began to re-think some of his beliefs. In the second half of his first decade in Washington, Anderson's positions on social issues shifted to the left, though his fiscal philosophy remained largely conservative. At the same time, he was held in high esteem by his colleagues in the House. In 1964, he won appointment to a seat on the powerful Rules Committee. In 1969, he became Chairman of the House Republican Conference, the number three position in the House Republican hierarchy in what was (at that time) the minority party.

Anderson increasingly found himself at odds with conservatives in his home district and other members of the House. He broke with the administration on Vietnam, was not always a faithful supporter of the Republican agenda, and was a very controversial critic of Richard Nixon during Watergate. In 1974, he was re-elected in Rockford with the lowest percentage of his career. His spot as the chairman of the HRC was challenged three times after his election. And, when Gerald Ford was defeated in the 1976 Presidential campaign, Anderson lost a key ally in Washington.

In late 1977, a fundamentalist television minister from Rockford, Don Lyon, announced that he would challenge Anderson in the Republican primary for the 16th congressional district. It was a contentious campaign, where Lyon with his experience before the camera proved to be a formidable candidate. He raised a great deal of money, won backing from many conservatives in the community and party, and put quite a scare into the Anderson team. Though Anderson was a leader in the House and the campaign commanded national attention, Anderson won the primary by 16% of the vote. Anderson was aided in this campaign by strong newspaper endorsements and crossover support from independents and Democrats.