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Elizabeth Dole resigns Red Cross post, may test presidential waters
January 4, 1999 WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, January 4) -- Elizabeth Dole resigned her post Monday as president of the American Red Cross, hinting at a possible presidential bid in 2000 by saying there "may be another way for me to serve this country."
Dole said she had made no decision about future activities but close associates told CNN the resignation could be a first step in a run for the White House. Her departure from the nonpartisan Red Cross clears the way for her to test the political waters and put together a fund-raising plan. "I will be leaving you," Dole told the crowd gathered at the Washington headquarters of the Red Cross. "I've not made definite plans about what I will do next. I didn't feel it was right to spend the time I owed to you thinking anything but our work together. "Soon I will begin considering new paths. And there are exciting possibilities. I will choose one and pursue it with all my might," she said. Asked afterward whether she will seek the presidency, Mrs. Dole replied: "I'm going to give it serious consideration, along with other options." Dole, 62, is the wife of former Sen. Bob Dole, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 1996. But Mrs. Dole impressed many on the trail campaigning for her husband and has long been mentioned as a possible GOP nominee for president or vice president. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll in October showed her second only to Texas Gov. George W. Bush among likely 2000 GOP hopefuls. (Full poll) Dole previously insisted that she had no plans to run. But in a September speech, she said, "I guess I've learned in this world never to say never." She served in the Cabinet as Transportation secretary from 1983 to 1987 and as Labor secretary from 1989 to 1990. She has headed the Red Cross since 1991. A Harvard-trained lawyer originally from North Carolina, Dole has never held elected office. But she has a wide variety of experience in the federal bureaucracy since coming to Washington in the mid-1960s, including serving five years as a member of the Federal Trade Commission before joining the Cabinet during the Reagan and Bush years. Dole's resignation from the Red Cross comes at a time when the 2000 presidential race is starting to take shape. Sen. Bob Smith (R-New Hampshire) has announced he will run for the Republican nomination while there are indications that another potential candidate, Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Missouri), may be getting cold feet. A national movement to draft Dole into the race was launched last month by Republican activist Earl Cox, who in 1996 tried to draft retired Gen. Colin Powell for a White House run. An official kickoff rally for the draft campaign is scheduled for January 23 in her hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina. If she ran, Dole would join only a handful of women who have made presidential bids. Victoria Woodhull announced her candidacy in 1870, long before women even had the right to vote. In 1964, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith's name was put into nomination at the Republican convention. And Shirley Chisholm ran in the 1972 Democratic primaries while Geraldine Ferraro won the number two slot on the 1984 Democratic ticket. Others have explored the possibility but ultimately did not take the leap. Rep. Pat Schroeder seriously considered running in 1988 but opted out, as did former Labor Secretary Lynn Martin in 1996. CNN's Candy Crowley and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report.MORE STORIES:Monday January 4, 1999
• Senators remain divided over trial plans • Hastert prepares to assume House speakership • Democratic donor to plead guilty to illegal contributions • Elizabeth Dole resigns Red Cross post, may test presidential waters • Clinton proposes tax credit for long-term care of elderly, disabled • Sen. Smith to announce presidential bid • First lady's mom says Hillary doesn't discuss her marriage • Q & A: An impeachment primer • U.S. Mint distributes new quarters • Ventura becomes Minnesota's governor • Ashcroft may not get in 2000 race | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
