DOLE DROPS OUT OF THE RACE; CITES LACK OF FUNDS NEEDED TO COMPETE.Byline: Katharine Seelye The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Elizabeth Dole, the first woman to be taken seriously as a candidate for her party's presidential nomination, dropped out of the race on Wednesday, saying she could not raise enough money to compete with the personal fortune of one Republican rival and the political heritage of another. Her withdrawal came before a single ballot had been cast - in itself a searing sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. statement about the overriding importance of money in politics. Dole had raised $4.7 million in the last nine months, compared with more than $56 million raised by Gov. George W. Bush of Texas, the Republican front-runner. ``I've learned that the current political calendar and election laws favor those who get an early start and can tap into huge private fortunes or who have a pre-existing network of political supporters,'' Dole told reporters at a hotel news conference here. ``Steve Forbes For the boxer, see . Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes Jr. (born July 18, 1947), is the son of Malcolm Forbes and the editor-in-chief of business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. has unlimited resources. Governor Bush has raised over $60 million and has about $40 million on hand. Both are starting to run TV ads next week.'' Their advantages, she said, had overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. her. ``It would be futile to continue,'' she said, tears welling in her eyes. Dole, a controlled performer and notorious perfectionist per·fec·tion·ism n. 1. A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards. 2. , loathed admitting defeat, friends said, but felt relieved that she was getting out. Her absence does little to alter the balance of power in the now-all-male Republican field of now-seven, where she had been sliding from second place to third. But her presence - as a woman - carried an element of unpredictability that might have propelled her to the front of the pack had it not been for Bush's early sweep of cash and endorsements and Dole's own failure to capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. her strengths. ``She has learned the lesson that others have learned who have been pruned from the field - that Governor Bush is sucking all of the available establishment and center-right money out of the process,'' said Rich Bond, a former chairman of the Republican Party. ``She was faced with a very stark choice - spend 100 percent of her time fund raising in order to be marginally competitive, or beat a strategic retreat in the face of actual electoral losses.'' Dole blamed her poor showing on tactical problems. She said she should have become an active candidate sooner than January, when she quit as president of of the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. . When she started making calls for support in early February, she said, it was too late. ``The endorsements were gone by that point,'' she said, snapped up by Bush, who, she said, had been laying the groundwork for his campaign since 1996. And she painted a grim picture of the cycle of defeat that ensnares a cashless campaign. ``The bottom line remains money,'' she said. ``In fact, it's a kind of Catch-22. Inadequate funding limits the number of staff at headquarters and in key states. It restricts your ability to communicate with voters. It places a ceiling on travel and travel staff. Over time, it becomes nearly impossible to sustain an effective campaign. Wherever you go, you find yourself answering questions not so much about guns in the classroom or China in the World Trade Organization, but money in the bank and ads on the airwaves airwaves Noun, pl Informal radio waves used in radio and television broadcasting .'' But her campaign was beset be·set tr.v. be·set, be·set·ting, be·sets 1. To attack from all sides. 2. To trouble persistently; harass. See Synonyms at attack. 3. by other problems, and her candidacy never gathered steam. Analysts said there was particular disappointment after she came in a strong third in August in the Iowa straw poll straw poll or vote Noun an unofficial poll or vote taken to find out the opinion of a group or the public on some issue Noun 1. - then vanished from public view for a couple of weeks instead of building her popularity. Allan J. Lichtman, the chairman of the history department at American University American University, at Washington, D.C.; United Methodist; founded by Bishop J. F. Hurst, chartered 1893, opened in 1914. It was at first a graduate school; an undergraduate college was opened in 1925. Programs provide for student research at many government institutions. , said that Dole failed to take risks or set herself apart from her rivals, despite her obvious appeal to women. ``I thought she had a chance to catch fire and maybe transform the race,'' he said, ``but she didn't give herself a chance to win. She didn't do anything to heat things up.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Elizabeth Dole, with husband, Bob Dole, announces the end of her run for the presidency. Greg Gibson/Associated Press (2 -- color) Dole |
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