Elizabeth Dole received a significant party endorsement today as she began the opening stages of her Republican campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth, a conservative stalwart among N.C. Republicans, endorsed Dole and accepted her invitation to serve as a senior adviser to the campaign.
“Only Elizabeth Dole can unite our party, lead us to victory and maintain a conservative Republican voice for North Carolina in the U.S. Senate,” said Faircloth, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1992-98.
Faircloth said Dole has the integrity, common sense and strength the state needs in its next senator to replace Republican Jesse Helms, who is not seeking a sixth term in 2002.
“Also at stake in this election is control of the U.S. Senate,” Faircloth said, “and as Republicans, we cannot afford to lose Senator Helms’ seat.”
Earlier this month, Faircloth gave brief consideration to running his own campaign for Helms’ seat before announcing he would not. Dole reportedly visited Faircloth prior to that decision.
“I am proud and honored to have Lauch Faircloth as part of my campaign,” Dole said. “For years, I have relied upon his sound advice and counsel and I am looking forward to joining with him as we wage a campaign on the issues that matter most.”
Dole attended an annual GOP barbecue rally in Greenville Monday night and had stops scheduled in Goldsboro, Smithfield, Wilmington and Fayetteville during the next two days.
Dole planned to tour the Eva Gardner Museum in Smithfield, the USS North Carolina battleship in Wilmington and the Airborne Museum in Fayetteville as part of her itinerary. She also scheduled visits to several barbecue restaurants and a tour of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department in Goldsboro.
This week’s campaigning represents Dole’s first public appearances since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in Washington and New York.
“I have grieved for our nation and will continue to work to heal the wounds we have all suffered,” Dole, a Salisbury native, said in a press release Monday.
“But today my mission is clear. I intend to join with the people of North Carolina as, together, we rebuild a state and nation that once again stand as twin towers of peace and prosperity.”
As a U.S. senator, Dole said she would work for better educational opportunities for children, greater access to health care, a growing economy with low taxes “and more important than ever, a strong and modern military capable of defending us from the new threats we face in the 21st century.”
The Dole 2002 Committee has set up a Web site at www.elizabethdole.org, a mailing address at P.O. Box 2109, Salisbury, NC 28145 and a toll-free number at 1-866-443-6304.
Anyone wanting to contact or help in Dole’s Senate bid can call the telephone number or visit the Web site.
Callers receive a recorded message asking them to leave their contact information for a Dole representative.
The Dole campaign already has established a red-white-and-blue campaign logo with the words “Dole U.S. Senate” placed over an outline of North Carolina.
Dole filed her candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission by mail Sept. 12, following through on the formation of a campaign committee, which she had planned to announce at her mother’s Salisbury home the afternoon of Sept. 11.
Dole canceled the Sept. 11 press conference because of the terrorist attacks that morning.
Campaign spokesman Jay Warshaw said Dole will probably have a formal announcement of her candidacy later this fall. Warshaw added that he expects Dole to establish campaign offices in Raleigh and Salisbury.
Dole has said she will visit each of North Carolina’s 100 counties before Election Day. She is a two-time presidential cabinet member and former president of the American Red Cross.
To date, the Republican field of interested candidates include Dole, former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, Davidson County attorney Jim Snyder and Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education member Dr. Ada Fisher.
Democratic hopefuls include N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and state Rep. Dan Blue of Wake County.
The Dr. Fisher for U.S. Senate Campaign also has a contact telephone and mailing address. Those interested in Fisher’s campaign can call 704-637-6134 or send mail to P.O. Box 777, Salisbury, NC 28145.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263 or mwineka@salisburypost.com
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