http://www.boston.com/dailynews/254/nation/Elizabeth_Dole_expected_to_run:.shtml

Elizabeth Dole expected to run for Senate seat being vacated by Jesse Helms

By Scott Mooneyham, Associated Press, 9/11/2001 05:00

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Republican leaders say Elizabeth Dole's popularity, name recognition and experience in two Cabinet posts make her the ideal candidate to succeed Jesse Helms in the Senate.

After weeks of lobbying her, those leaders are a step closer to getting their wish.

A top Republican officeholder told The Associated Press on Monday that Dole has called several GOP officials in North Carolina to let them know she was entering the race.

Dole was expected to formally announce her plans for the Senate race at a news conference Tuesday at her home in Salisbury, located between Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

''I'm in there,'' Dole told the Charlotte Observer on Monday. ''I've taken the first steps on the campaign trail.''

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Dole is going to establish a campaign committee and start building a staff.

''I'm going to be raising money, traveling the state, taking the first steps, and then make a formal announcement of candidacy later in the fall,'' Dole said.

Dole, 65, has not lived in North Carolina in decades and had long been registered to vote in Kansas, the home state of her husband, former Sen. Bob Dole.

But after Helms announced last month that he would not seek re-election in 2002, she notified election officials in Kansas that she was ending her voter registration there. She has since registered in North Carolina.

Dole has said she continues to consider Salisbury home, even though her career took her to Washington, where she served as secretary of labor and transportation and as head of the American Red Cross.

Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot and retired Salisbury physician Ada Fisher are the only Republicans who have officially entered the race. Rep. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem also has been mentioned as a potential GOP contender.

GOP leaders in Washington and North Carolina have been quietly courting Dole as a Senate candidate for weeks. But Burr is also a favorite of the Republican establishment in North Carolina, and Vinroot enjoys name recognition following two failed campaigns for the governor's office.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall is the lone Democrat in the race. But on Monday, Democratic state Rep. Dan Blue, a former House speaker, said he plans to file paperwork to become a candidate as early as Wednesday.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2001

Answers

Only citizens can vote ;)

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2001

And you would be a denizen, perhaps?

I was really in favor of her a couple years ago, but my political leanings may have changed during that time.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2001