156 sLAde goRton: A hALf centuRy in poLitics
become an influential aide, indefatigable campaign manager, chief of
staff and “second son”—someone Slade counted on to tell the truth, even
when it hurt.
in1968, when M Agnuson faced the first of two challenges from state
Senator Jack Metcalf, a rustic conservative from Whidbey Island, he was
already looking long in the tooth. He’d barely avoided an upset in 1962.
George Lois, a wild hare New York ad man, came up with a memorable ad
campaign based on the fact that Magnuson was the architect of some of
the most progressive consumer protection legislation in U.S. history:
“Keep the Big Boys Honest.”
Magnuson was not nuts about his nickname but Lois loved it.* He
styled his client as a champion of the average Joe and Jill. Buttons and
bumper strips declared “I’ve got kids. I’m for Maggie!” and “I’m a House-
wife. I’m for Maggie.”
To offset the notion
that Magnuson was dod-
dering, Lois cooked up a
30-second commercial
that’s included on a list of
the 100 greatest TV spots
of all time: Voice over as
Magnuson looks into the
camera: “Senator Magnu-
son, there comes a time
when every young senator
shows that he’s putting on
years. Senator Magnuson,
there comes a time, sure
as fate, when slim sena-
tors assume a more im-
pressive stature. So, once
youth is gone, once dash is gone, what can you offer the voters of Wash-
ington?” Magnuson reflects for a moment, then taps his noggin. Voice
over: “Let’s keep Maggie in the Senate!”^9
- At a White House dinner during World War II, Winston Churchill heard FDR call his
poker-game buddy “Maggie” and advised, “Well, young man, don’t mind it at all. I think
the reason I’m prime minister of Great Britain is that I’m known as ‘Winnie’ in every pub
in the country.”^8
Warren G. Magnuson—“Maggie” to millions—
deserved a gold watch after 44 years in Con-
gress, the Gorton campaign said. Washington
State Archives