Dueling Presidential Campaigns Make Local Stops

Speaking before a friendly meeting of religious conservatives Thursday night, Elizabeth Dole emphasized the integrity and character of her husband, Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole, contrasting him with President Clinton.

‘You need to elect Bob Dole so that he can carry out Bill Clinton’s broken promises,” the wife of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee told a group of about 100.

She was interrupted eight times by applause and a few “amens” as she spoke to a meeting of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Christian Coalition, the politically activist organization founded by religious broadcaster and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson.

Recalling her husband’s recovery from World War II wounds and his reputation as a GOP leader in the U.S. Senate, Dole urged Californians to give her husband the additional delegates in Tuesday’s state primary election that he needs to clinch the Republican nomination.

“This election is about the character of the person who will lead us there,” Dole told the group, meeting at the Galpin Ford dealership in North Hills. “I think you could build an entire campaign on restoring personal responsibility in America.”

She was introduced as a “woman of deep faith” by Sara DiVito Hardman of Tarzana, state director of the Christian Coalition, who recalled that Elizabeth Dole spoke before a San Fernando Valley Prayer Breakfast last May.

Jane Boeckmann, wife of Galpin Ford owner and Republican stalwart Bert Boeckmann, praised Elizabeth Dole as “a joy to listen to” and “the best advocate [Dole] could have.”

Elizabeth Dole, rather than her husband, often speaks to religious groups such as the Christian Coalition on the campaign trail because of her willingness to talk about her own beliefs.

She briefly acknowledged the senator’s need to woo ardent religious conservatives by saying that “Fiscal conservatives and social conservatives [are] coming together to beat Bill Clinton.”

Bob Dole’s earlier rivals in the primary campaign drew the votes of religious, or “social,” conservatives with strongly stated stances against abortion and for school prayer.

In remarks to reporters after the talk, she said that although her husband will be in California for only three days, starting today, “He’ll be campaigning hard and we’ll be back many times.”

She said her husband supports a bill passed by the House on Thursday that would deny public education and welfare to the children of illegal immigrants. The bill goes next to the Senate, where her husband is in charge.

“We feel there is a great deal of support for this in California because it would save a lot of money for the state,” she said.

Elizabeth Dole, who has served as secretary of transportation and secretary of labor under two Republican presidents, is on leave of absence as president of the American Red Cross, but said she would return to that post if her husband is elected president.

“The Red Cross [headquarters] is only three minutes from the White House, so it will be very easy to get to work,” she said.