The N.C. Congressional Club didn't just promote Sen. Jesse Helms.

As a reviewer in the Wall Street Journal notes, the conservative political organization also boosted the Republican Party's fortunes in North Carolina.

In a review of "Righteous Warrior" by William Link, Washington Examiner associate editor Quin Hillyer writes that the group used "smashmouth political tactics, massive fund-raising efforts and all the tools of mass media" to beat its opponents. But it also boosted GOP registration:

Between 1982 and 1984, as the Congressional Club geared up for Mr. Helms's epic re-election battle against Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, the percentage of all eligible voters who were registered in North Carolina grew to 77% from 58%, with Republicans outpacing Democrats among new enrollees. By one estimate, Republicans registered 150,000 white evangelicals in that short time, with total GOP registration soaring by 24%.

The Congressional Club also helped rescue the career of Ronald Reagan with a key victory in the 1976 presidential campaign in North Carolina, Hillyer notes.