Elizabeth Dole: Difference between revisions
m →2008 Senate reelection campaign: can't say international when there's not one cited |
No edit summary |
||
Line 72: | Line 72: | ||
Her election to the Senate marked the first time a spouse of a former Senator was elected to the Senate from a different state from that of her spouse. (Although [[Kansas]] Senator [[Nancy Landon Kassebaum]] married former [[Tennessee]] Senator [[Howard Baker]], the marriage occurred after Kassebaum and Baker both had finished their service in the Senate). Dole was criticized by Democrats during her first Senate campaign over the fact that for over 40 years prior to her nomination, she had not lived in North Carolina. |
Her election to the Senate marked the first time a spouse of a former Senator was elected to the Senate from a different state from that of her spouse. (Although [[Kansas]] Senator [[Nancy Landon Kassebaum]] married former [[Tennessee]] Senator [[Howard Baker]], the marriage occurred after Kassebaum and Baker both had finished their service in the Senate). Dole was criticized by Democrats during her first Senate campaign over the fact that for over 40 years prior to her nomination, she had not lived in North Carolina. |
||
On October 2, 2003, a measure was introduced to the senate floor that would mean an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq (Including Life saving equipment such as imporved body armor) and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000. Senator Dole voted against the measure. Fortunatly her opinion was a minority and the resolution passed.<ref>http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00376</ref> |
|||
In November 2004, following Republican gains in the United States Senate, Dole narrowly edged out Senator [[Norm Coleman]] of Minnesota for the post of [[chairman|chair]] of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]]. She is first woman to become chair of the NRSC. During her election cycle as chairperson, her Democratic Party counterpart, Senator [[Chuck Schumer]] raised significantly more money, and also had more success in recruiting candidates. In the November election, Dole's party lost six U.S. Senate seats to the Democrats, thus losing control of the U.S. Senate. Dole was replaced as NRSC chair by Senator [[John Ensign]] of [[Nevada]] following the 2006 midterms. |
In November 2004, following Republican gains in the United States Senate, Dole narrowly edged out Senator [[Norm Coleman]] of Minnesota for the post of [[chairman|chair]] of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]]. She is first woman to become chair of the NRSC. During her election cycle as chairperson, her Democratic Party counterpart, Senator [[Chuck Schumer]] raised significantly more money, and also had more success in recruiting candidates. In the November election, Dole's party lost six U.S. Senate seats to the Democrats, thus losing control of the U.S. Senate. Dole was replaced as NRSC chair by Senator [[John Ensign]] of [[Nevada]] following the 2006 midterms. |
Revision as of 01:25, 11 November 2008
Elizabeth Hanford Dole | |
---|---|
![]() | |
United States Senator from North Carolina | |
Assumed office January 7, 2003 Serving with Richard Burr | |
Preceded by | Jesse Helms |
20th United States Secretary of Labor | |
In office January 25, 1989 – November 23, 1990 | |
President | George H. W. Bush |
Preceded by | Ann Dore McLaughlin |
Succeeded by | Lynn Morley Martin |
8th United States Secretary of Transportation | |
In office February 7, 1983 – September 30, 1987 | |
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Andrew L. Lewis, Jr. |
Succeeded by | James H. Burnley IV |
Personal details | |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Bob Dole |
Children | Robin Dole (stepdaughter) |
Residence | Salisbury, North Carolina |
Alma mater | Duke University Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard Law School |
Mary Elizabeth Hanford "Liddy" Dole (born July 29, 1936) is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations. She is currently serving as a United States senator from North Carolina after being elected to the Senate in 2002 as the first female U.S. senator from North Carolina. She ran for re-election in 2008, but lost to Democratic nominee Kay Hagan.[1]
A graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School, Dole served as Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Labor under George H.W. Bush before becoming head of the American Red Cross. She is a member of the Republican Party and former chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She is married to former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and 1996 Republican presidential nominee Sen. Bob Dole.
Early life and family
Dole was born Mary Elizabeth Hanford in Salisbury, North Carolina, to Mary Ella Cathey (1901–2004) and John Van Hanford (1893–1978).[2]
She attended Duke University, graduating in 1958, and followed that with post-graduate work at Oxford in 1959. She earned a master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1960 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1965. She is an alumna of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and was recognized for being their leading orchid grower several times.
Dole first met her future husband, Senator Bob Dole in the spring of 1972 at a meeting arranged by her boss and mentor, Virginia Knauer.[3] The couple dated, and she became his second wife on December 6, 1975. They have no children, though she is stepmother to Bob's adult daughter Robin from his first marriage of 24 years that ended in divorce in 1972.
White House years
Johnson Administration
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/EHD_%26_Mrs_Knauer.jpg/200px-EHD_%26_Mrs_Knauer.jpg)
Dole, who had campaigned for the Kennedy-Johnson presidential ticket in 1960, worked in the White House in the later years of the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson.
Nixon and Ford Administrations
When many Democrats left the White House following Richard Nixon's replacement of Johnson, Dole did not. From 1969 to 1973, Elizabeth Dole served as Deputy Assistant to President Nixon for Consumer Affairs. In 1973, Nixon appointed her to a seven-year term on the Federal Trade Commission. In 1975, she became a Republican. She took a leave from her post as a Federal Trade Commissioner for several months in 1976 to campaign for her husband for Vice President of the United States when he ran on the Republican ticket with Gerald Ford. She later resigned from the FTC in 1979 to campaign for her husband's 1980 presidential run.
Reagan Administration and Secretary of Transportation
She served as United States Secretary of Transportation from 1983 to 1987 under Ronald Reagan, the first woman appointed to that position. In this role, she was the first woman to have served as the head of a branch of the United States Military, as the United States Coast Guard was under the Department of Transportation at the time.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Edole1.jpg/170px-Edole1.jpg)
During her tenure the implementation of the "third eye" brake light on passenger cars was made mandatory. She worked with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) to pass laws withholding federal highway funding from any state that had a drinking age below twenty-one. The state government of South Dakota opposed the drinking age law and sued Dole in the case South Dakota v. Dole, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dole. She oversaw the privatization of the national freight railroad, CONRAIL. She initiated random drug testing within the Department of Transportation.
First Bush Administration and Secretary of Labor
Dole served as United States Secretary of Labor from 1989 to 1990 under George H. W. Bush; she is the first woman to serve in two different Cabinet positions in the administrations of two Presidents.
Red Cross presidency
In 1991 Dole became the president of the American Red Cross. She served until 1999 when she resigned, leaving little doubt she intended to pursue the Presidency of the United States.[citation needed]
1996 Republican National Convention
Dole's husband Bob Dole was the Republican nominee in the US presidential election of 1996. Elizabeth Dole, who would have become First Lady had her husband won the election, received recognition for her speech at the 1996 Republican National Convention, during which she walked out into the audience while talking conversationally about her husband's qualities.
2000 United States Presidential candidacy
Elizabeth Dole ran for the Republican nomination in the US presidential election of 2000, but pulled out of the race in October 1999 before any of the primaries, largely due to inadequate fundraising. Dole placed third—behind George W. Bush and Steve Forbes—in a large field in the Iowa Straw Poll (the first, non-binding, test of electability for the Republican Party nomination). The Iowa Straw Poll differed from the national polls where she was second only to Bush; Senator John McCain was in third place.
In July 2000, shortly before the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Bush campaign sources said Elizabeth Dole was on the short list to be named the vice-presidential nominee, along with Michigan Governor John Engler, New York Governor George Pataki, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, author and political figure Lynne Cheney, and former Missouri Senator John Danforth.[4] Many pundits believed that Dole was the frontrunner for the Vice Presidential nomination. Bush then surprised most pundits by selecting former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, who was actually in charge of leading Bush's search for a vice presidential nominee.
U.S. Senate career
Campaigns
In late December 2001, Dole shifted her official residency from the Doles' condominium in the Watergate complex to her mother's home in Salisbury to seek election to the U.S. Senate.[5][6] The seat was made available by the retirement of Republican Jesse Helms. Although Dole hadn't lived regularly in North Carolina since 1959, the state and national Republican establishment quickly cleared the field for her. She handily won the Republican primary with 80 percent of the vote over a lesser-known candidate, Dr. Ada Fisher. In the November general election, she defeated her Democratic opponent Erskine Bowles, a former chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton, by a surprisingly large eight-point margin.
Her election to the Senate marked the first time a spouse of a former Senator was elected to the Senate from a different state from that of her spouse. (Although Kansas Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum married former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, the marriage occurred after Kassebaum and Baker both had finished their service in the Senate). Dole was criticized by Democrats during her first Senate campaign over the fact that for over 40 years prior to her nomination, she had not lived in North Carolina.
On October 2, 2003, a measure was introduced to the senate floor that would mean an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq (Including Life saving equipment such as imporved body armor) and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000. Senator Dole voted against the measure. Fortunatly her opinion was a minority and the resolution passed.[7]
In November 2004, following Republican gains in the United States Senate, Dole narrowly edged out Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota for the post of chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She is first woman to become chair of the NRSC. During her election cycle as chairperson, her Democratic Party counterpart, Senator Chuck Schumer raised significantly more money, and also had more success in recruiting candidates. In the November election, Dole's party lost six U.S. Senate seats to the Democrats, thus losing control of the U.S. Senate. Dole was replaced as NRSC chair by Senator John Ensign of Nevada following the 2006 midterms.
2008 Senate reelection campaign
Dole was running for reelection in 2008, but ultimately lost to Democrat Kay Hagan. Democratic congressman Brad Miller had expressed an interest in challenging her, but had decided against it, along with other prominent North Carolina Democrats such as Governor Mike Easley and former Governor Jim Hunt, who all declined to compete against Dole.[8][9] On May 6, 2008, State Senator Kay Hagan won the Democratic primary election and became Dole's general election opponent. Reports late in the campaign suggested that Dole, once considered a safe bet for reelection, suffered from Barack Obama's decision to aggressively contest North Carolina in the presidential election.[10]
Hagan was initially given little chance against Dole, but Hagan was helped by independent 527 groups lobbying/advertising against incumbent Dole and thereby helping Hagan.[9] The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has expended more money in North Carolina than in any other state during the 2008 election season.[9] However, Dole benefited from more out-of-state funding overall than Hagan.[citation needed]
In late October, Dole released a controversial television ad attacking Hagan for reportedly taking donations from individuals involved in the Godless Americans PAC, a group which advocates for the rights of people who do not believe in God. The ad also included a female voice saying, "There is no God."[11][12] The Dole campaign said the ad correctly shows who Hagan will associate with in order to raise campaign funds, and on November 1, Bob Dole also defended it, asserting that "it never questions her faith," and that "the issue is why she was there. There's no question about her faith. I think it's [the ad's] fair game."[13]
Hagan, who is a member of the Presbyterian Church and a former Sunday school teacher,[12] condemned the ad as "fabricated and pathetic," and, according to Hagan's campaign website, a cease-and-desist letter was "hand-delivered to Dole's Raleigh office, faxed to her Salisbury office and sent to her home at the Watergate in Washington, DC."[14] Hagan also filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court accusing Dole of defamation and libel.[15][16]
The ad has met exceptionally strong criticism from the public as well as many local and several national media outlets. CNN's Campbell Brown said about the ad: "[A]mid all the attack ads on the airwaves competing to out-ugly one another, we think we've found a winner."[17] The ad has been described as "ridiculously outrageous,"[18] "indecent,"[19] a "gross misrepresentation,"[20] "worse than dishonest"[21] and "beyond the bounds of acceptable political disagreement,"[21] among other harsh criticism.[22] Another ad issued by the Dole campaign in mid-October 2008 was described by The Fayetteville Observer as "[setting] the low mark in negative political campaigning."[23]
In the 2008 election, Dole lost by a wider-than-expected margin, taking only 44 percent of the vote to Hagan's 53 percent--the widest margin for a Senate race in North Carolina in 30 years, and the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent Senator in the 2008 cycle. It has been speculated that the outcry over the "Godless" ads contributed to Dole's loss.[24] Hagan heavily beat Dole in the state's five largest counties--Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Forsyth and Durham--and dominated most of the eastern portion of the state. While Dole dominated the Charlotte suburbs and most of the heavily Republican Foothills region, it was not enough to save her seat.
Political positions
Dole worked with other senators such as Chuck Hagel to draft and attempt to pass legislation reforming housing financing regulation; the bill did not go up for a vote.[25]
In September 2008, Dole joined the Gang of 20, a bipartisan group working towards comprehensive energy reform. The group is pushing for a bill that would encourage state-by-state decisions on offshore drilling and authorize billions of dollars for conservation and alternative energy.[26]
Committee assignments
Dole is a member of the following U.S. Senate committees:
- U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
- Emerging Threats and Capabilities (Ranking Member)
- Personnel
- Readiness and Management Support
- U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Financial Institutions
- Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
- Security and International Trade and Finance
- U.S. Senate Select Committee on Aging
- U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Books by and about Elizabeth Dole
- Dole, Bob & Elizabeth with Richard Norton Smith (1988). The Doles: Unlimited Partners. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-60202-0. The book was first released during Bob Dole's presidential candidacy.[27] (re-release) Unlimited Partners: Our American Story. Simon & Schuster, 1996. ISBN 0-684-83401-4
- Dole, Elizabeth (2004) Hearts Touched by Fire: My 500 Most Inspirational Quotations. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1428-X
- Lucas, Eileen (1998) Elizabeth Dole: A Leader In Washington. The Millbrook Press. ISBN 0-7613-0203-4
- Wertheimer, Molly Meijer and Gutgold, Nichola D. (2004) Elizabeth Hanford Dole: Speaking from the Heart. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0-275-98378-1
Electoral history
Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Elizabeth Dole | 1,248,664 | 53.6% | Erskine Bowles | 1,047,983 | 45% | Sean Haugh | Libertarian | 33,807 | 1.5% | Paul DeLaney | Write-In | 727 | 0.3% | ||||
2008 | Elizabeth Dole | 1,305,915 | 44% | Kay Hagan | 1,573,592 | 53% | Chris Cole | Libertarian |
See also
Footnotes
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081105/ap_on_el_pr/election_update845pm
- ^ Ancestry of Elizabeth Dole (b. 1936)
- ^ AllPolitics - Elizabeth Dole Biography
- ^ Starr, Alexandra (July 1999). "Running Mates: Who will be on the ticket in 2000?". The Washington Monthly.
- ^ "Elizabeth Dole FEC Filing and Deed" (PDF). Pam's House Blend. 2001-12-26. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ "Elizabeth Dole Gives Hint of Senate Race". The New York Times. 2001-08-24. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00376
- ^ 2008 Election Challenge.
- ^ a b c "Is the Southern Strategy Dead?". American Prospect. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Scrambling the red states". The Economist. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Kraushaar, Josh. Hagan's campaign says the ad sought to put inflammatory words in their candidate's mouth; The Dole campaign says the ad correctly shows who Hagan will associate with in order to raise campaign funds.Dole still keeping the faith. The Politico. October 29, 2008.
- ^ a b Brown, Campbell. Commentary: Mudslinging to get elected. CNN.com. October 29, 2008.
- ^ Bob Dole Defends "Godless" TV Ad. Small Business VoIP. November 1, 2008.
- ^ KayHagan.com. Kay on Dole Ad Attacking Her Christian Faith: A Fabricated, Pathetic Ad. October 30, 2008.
- ^ Dole Sued for 'Godless' Attack Ad, ABC News. October 30, 2008.
- ^ Dole challenger irate over suggestion she is 'godless'. CNN.com. October 30, 2008.
- ^ Brown, Campbell. Commentary: Mudslinging to get elected. CNN.com. October 29, 2008.
- ^ Frank, James. Dole 'Godless' ad shows progress, sort of. Chicago Tribune. October 31, 2008.
- ^ Dole's desperate turn to Big Lie advertising. The Charlotte Observer. Oct. 30, 2008.
- ^ As election nears, negative ads a distraction. Asheville Citizen-Times. October 30, 2008.
- ^ a b Editorial: Dole’s attack on Hagan’s faith drives heated campaign lower. Greensboro News & Record. October 30, 2008.
- ^ ELIZABETH DOLE ATTACKS KAY HAGAN´S CHRISTIAN FAITH. AmericanChronicle.com. November 02, 2008.
- ^ Dole’s new ads set the low mark in negative political campaigning. The Fayetteville Observer. October 15, 2008.
- ^ Barbara Barrett (2008-11-05). "N.C. voters deny Dole, elect Hagan to U.S. Senate". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ^ "Watt and Cobb battle for 12th District seat". Davidson County Dispatch. 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ http://www.startribune.com/politics/28297749.html
- ^ Kolbert, Elizabeth (1996-11-03). "Memoirs without Revelations". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
External links
- United States Senator Elizabeth Dole, Official Senate website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Senate Campaign website
- Collected news and commentary from The New York Times
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Elizabeth Dole at Curlie
- United States Secretaries of Labor
- United States Secretaries of Transportation
- United States Senators from North Carolina
- United States presidential candidates, 2000
- North Carolina Republicans
- Duke University alumni
- Harvard University alumni
- Harvard Law School alumni
- People from North Carolina
- Female United States presidential candidates
- 1936 births
- Living people
- Spouses of United States Senators
- Spouses of members of the United States House of Representatives
- American Methodists
- Female United States Senators
- Current members of the United States Senate
- Reagan Administration personnel
- Members of Phi Beta Kappa Society
- Former liberals
- American Christians