DOLE SELECTS KEMP : CANDIDATE WILL FORMALIZE CHOICE TODAY.

Byline: John King Associated Press 

Looking for an energetic partner to reshape the presidential race, Bob Dole tapped former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp on Friday night for the No. 2 spot on the Republican ticket, GOP sources said. Kemp eagerly accepted, sealing an improbable political alliance.

``Quarterbacks are always ready,'' Kemp said earlier in the day.

Dole placed the call from his family home in Russell, Kan., concluding the deal at 11:06 p.m. EDT after asking Kemp several final questions and discussing his role in the fall campaign. Kemp was in Dallas, where he boarded a plane to Kansas for today's official announcement.

Dole spokesman Nelson Warfield confirmed Dole had picked a running mate but refused to identify him. ``Bob Dole made the call. Bob Dole got the answer he was looking for. And we've got a veep,'' Warfield said.

He said the call lasted 15 minutes, touching upon policy and politics. With the selection, ``The curtain goes up on the drama of taking the White House back from Bill Clinton,'' Warfield said.

Two sources familiar with the conversation told the Associated Press that Kemp was Dole's choice, ending a months-long search that saw Dole consider a handful of GOP governors and three former Senate colleagues before turning late to Kemp, who just a month ago predicted his rocky relationship with Dole would keep him from being considered.

Warfield said he was in the room during the call and told reporters later, ``I can't tell you who the other party was but I can tell you he was extremely enthusiastic. You could hear him through the phone.''

The 73-year-old Dole and the 61-year-old Kemp have been rivals - and antagonists - for years. They were unsuccessful candidates for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination, and both were passed over by George Bush when he was looking to fill the ticket.

At the root of most past Dole-Kemp feuds has been economics: Dole is a deficit hawk determined to balance the federal budget; Kemp a supply side apostle who believes deep tax cuts and economic growth should take precedence over balancing the books. Dole's new economic plan bridges both camps, and it was during deliberations over its $548 billion in tax cuts that Kemp emerged as a serious contender.

On hand to greet Kemp in Dallas was Sheila Burke, Dole's former Senate chief of staff, and Roderick DeArment, the attorney who headed the vice presidential background investigations.

Dole joked about keeping his choice a surprise and sneaking his pick into his tiny hometown: ``Hopefully we'll be able to bring whoever it is in through the back door and nobody will notice - but I doubt it.''

Dole aides prepared for today's rally on the courthouse steps in Russell - where Dole began his political career as county attorney - and then a triumphant arrival Sunday in this GOP convention city where ``Dole-Kemp '96'' T-shirts were already on sale and early arrivals were abuzz with talk of whether Kemp could help Dole overcome President Clinton's big lead.

``Jack Kemp is the ideal choice,'' said another finalist in the search, Michigan Gov. John Engler. ``Bob Dole's inspired choice shows that he has the leadership and decision-making ability to energize the Republican Party and lead us to victory in November.''

With several new polls showing him trailing Clinton by 15 to 20 points or more, next week's Republican convention is considered critical to any Dole comeback hopes, and the selection of a running mate a major requirement in any comeback bid.

At the outset, Dole said he was looking for a ``10,'' and he joked with reporters Friday that his choice was ``probably an 11.'' Kemp emerged late, as Dole and advisers looking for a bold pick to energize the GOP convention and convince voters to give the Republican ticket a fresh look.

Noting the many policy differences between Dole and Kemp, Democrats suggested it was a desperate move - and handed out footballs with this printed slogan: ``Hail Mary Pass.'' But former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, said Kemp could hurt Democrats by appealing to minority voters. ``It's formidable,'' Cuomo said of the Dole-Kemp ticket.

In considering Kemp, Dole put aside years of strained relations and turned to an energetic, though sometimes undisciplined, campaigner who is popular with GOP's conservative base yet is perhaps the party's most vocal advocate of doing more to benefit racial minorities and inner-city residents.

``We now have a forward-looking, dynamic ticket. It will truly excite the country,'' said Dole primary rival Steve Forbes, the flat-tax advocate who entered the presidential race only after his close friend Kemp declined to run.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, speaking several hours before the deal was sealed, said: ``If it is Kemp, it's a bold move. Jack Kemp is the most dynamic and emotionally intense advocate of economic growth and of opportunity for every American.''

GOP activists said Kemp could face some heat for opposition to term limits, criticism of tough immigration policies and support of affirmative action. Still, the early reaction was overwhelmingly favorable.

Kemp served 18 years in Congress representing Buffalo, N.Y., where he ended his professional football career with the Bills. He is a California native, and played for the San Diego Chargers. Kemp served as housing secretary in the Bush administration and since then has been a leader of Empower America, a conservative policy organization. He has traveled widely for speaking engagements to augment his income and also to raise funds at GOP events.

Below Kemp on Dole's list was Florida Sen. Connie Mack, Kemp's good friend from their days serving together in the House. Engler was said to be the third finalist. After Dole arrived in Russell, campaign manager Scott Reed began informing other prospects that they were out of the running, including Mack, Engler, Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles, Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and former South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) With his wife, Joanne, by his side, fo rmer congressman Jack Kemp speaks to reporters Friday in Orlando, Fla.

(2) Bob Dole accompanies TV host Barbara Walters down Main Street in Russell, Kan., his boyhood home, Friday evening.