Dole garners support here during election-bid sweep

By Rose Hooper

"We've got to get our economy moving in North Carolina," Dole said, stumping in Sylva Jan. 10.

"We pay 40 percent of our income just in taxes," Dole told the crowd gathered for breakfast. She talked about the "hidden" taxes of complying with federal regulations, which amounts to $834 billion annually.

"For each family that amounts to $8,164 annually," said Dole, who supports tax credits for business people.

A native of Salisbury and a Republican, Dole is seeking the Senate seat occupied for the past 30 years by Jesse Helms, who announced last year he will not run for re-election.

Dole's 100-year-old mother lives in Salisbury. "I talk with her every day," said the candidate.

"When I was thinking about running, I asked her opinion, and she said, ŒIt will break the monotony.'" Referring to the Sept. 11 tragedies, Dole said the events "showed us the worst side of human behavior. But since then, we've seen the best of human behavior. I would like to see that good spirit continued."

A strong national defense tops her agenda, followed by education, this former 11th-grade history teacher told the crowd in Sylva. The federal government provides only 6 percent of funding for education, she pointed out, emphasizing that "local control is important."

"In education we need measurable goals, a strict accountability and a return of respect and discipline to the classroom," she said.

As of last Thursday, Dole had visited 42 of the state's 100 counties in her campaign sweep with plans to visit the rest. Her formal announcement for the Senate seat is expected to come Feb. 9 from her hometown of Salisbury.

Leon Jones, principal chief of the Eastern Band, serves on Dole's executive committee.

Dole, a 1958 graduate of Duke University, earned a juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School. She served as president of the American Red Cross for 10 years. She served as U.S. secretary of transportation under President Ronald Reagan and as secretary of labor under former President George Bush. In 1998 she was named one of the world's top three most admired women by a Gallup Poll.

She is married to former U.S. Senator Bob Dole, an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1996.

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