Henning made his name as a Journalist for the CCP party organ, the Gishoto Worker's Post which he joined in 2278. He was elected to the Supreme Soviet as a member for the CCP in 2285 where he used his style and quick wit to good effect. Following the humiliating CCP defeat in 2287 he succeeded Tiberius Gracchus as leader of the party in the Soviet. It proved to be a succesful run in which he maintained the CCP's position as a major party and avoided any serious election defeat and was able to restore the command economy, though failed to stop futher successes of the secularists to cut back on the power of the church.