Shortly after Apollo 13’s safe return in 1970, political heavyweights in Wisconsin approached Jim Lovell about running as a Republican for United States Senate in his home state. He demurred, but that didn’t stop Vice President Spiro Agnew, then President Nixon himself, from stepping in to press the recruiting effort. The election was just six months away; even with a war chest from the party, Lovell still had no structure, no party history. He passed. The decision pleased Marilyn. She knew Jim would make a fine senator but also knew that politics could tear a person’s life and family apart.
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