Cooke should know better what “politically dead” means. It means Muskie in ‘72, Humphrey in ‘80, George Allen Jr. after Macaca (how quaint), Sanford after his Appalachian detour to South America , Charlie Crist after he made it clear he as just an aging queen, John Ellis Bush having his liver plucked out every night during the primaries, etc
HHH died in 1978; he lost a primary bid for president to George McGovern in 1972.