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After service in the Navy he entered an entirely unstructured California political environment-- parties hardly existed there in the 1940s, and many voters were recent arrivals. As a result Nixon never built a secure base in California (or anywhere else). In 1946 he defeated five-term Democrat Representative Jerry Voorhis, a leading liberal. Two years later, Nixon ran for reelection in both the Republican and Democrat primaries and won endorsement of both parties in the general election. <ref>Only California allowed this sort of "cross filing," and they later dropped it and went to normal intra-party primaries. Richard Matthew Pious, ''The Presidents,'' pg. 515</ref> Nixon took typical positions for a California Republican: he was hostile to [[Communism]], internationalist in outlook, and  middle-of-the road in economic and social issues.

After service in the Navy he entered an entirely unstructured California political environment-- parties hardly existed there in the 1940s, and many voters were recent arrivals. As a result Nixon never built a secure base in California (or anywhere else). In 1946 he defeated five-term Democrat Representative Jerry Voorhis, a leading liberal. Two years later, Nixon ran for reelection in both the Republican and Democrat primaries and won endorsement of both parties in the general election. <ref>Only California allowed this sort of "cross filing," and they later dropped it and went to normal intra-party primaries. Richard Matthew Pious, ''The Presidents,'' pg. 515</ref> Nixon took typical positions for a California Republican: he was hostile to [[Communism]], internationalist in outlook, and  middle-of-the road in economic and social issues.

Nixon's first major breakthrough came in Congress, where his dogged investigation broke the impasse of the [[Alger Hiss]] spy case in 1948. The idea that Hiss--a former senior adviser to President [[Franklin Roosevelt]]-- was a Soviet spy alarmed the nation, and won the lifelong hatred of the left, whose veneer of patriotism was dissolved. [[Image:Eisenhower_Nixon.jpg|left|thumb|275px|Eisenhower and Nixon on a 1952 Campaign Stop.]]  

Nixon's first major breakthrough in the national limelight came in 1948 after an illegal break-in, misuse of the [[FBI]] and intelligence agencies, domestic spying and violations of civil rights, a cover-up, Congressional investigations, and a claim of Executive Privilege. The scandal began when the [[OSS]] and [[FBI]] illegally broke into the offices of [[Amerasia]] magazine, arrested 6 co-conspirators on theft of classified documents and espionage charges. The Truman administration covered up the illegal break-in, stonewalled the investigation, and claimed Executive Privilege when subpoenaed by House Un-American Activities Committee. Nixon broke the impasse of the [[Alger Hiss]] spy case. The idea that Hiss--a former senior adviser to President [[Franklin Roosevelt]]-- was a Soviet spy alarmed the nation, and won the lifelong hatred of the left, whose veneer of patriotism was dissolved. [[Image:Eisenhower_Nixon.jpg|left|thumb|275px|Eisenhower and Nixon on a 1952 Campaign Stop.]]  

In 1950 Nixon was elected to the [[United States Senate]] by defeating a leading Hollywood liberal,  Helen Gahagan Douglas using tough campaign tactics that emphasized her votes with the far left.

In 1950 Nixon was elected to the [[United States Senate]] by defeating a leading Hollywood liberal,  Helen Gahagan Douglas using tough campaign tactics that emphasized her votes with the far left.