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Address: 712 South Fulton St., Salisbury, N.C. 28144

Age: 72 (July 29, 1936)

Occupation: U.S. Senator

Web site and e-mail:

Official Office

http://dole.senate.gov/

E-mail: http://dole.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.ContactForm

Campaign office

http://www.elizabethdole.org/

E-mail: information@elizabethdole.org

Elective experience: Elected in 2002 as the first woman to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

Other relevant experience: Worked in the administrations of five presidents, including serving on the Federal Trade Commission and as U.S. Secretary of Transportation and U.S. Secretary of Labor. Also served as President of the American Red Cross from 1991 to 1999, and upon concluding service at the Red Cross, sought the Republican presidential nomination, becoming the first viable woman candidate from a major political party.

Family: Husband Sen. Robert Dole

Key qualifications you would bring to the job

I'm a results-oriented person, and throughout my public service career, I have tackled big issues - such as getting seat belts and airbags in cars, improving safety in the workplace, or transforming the nation's blood supply - working in a bipartisan way and forming coalitions.

That's how I have approached my first term in the Senate, and I'm proud that my legislative accomplishments have been achieved by working with both Republicans and Democrats. This is the same spirit I'll continue bringing to my job if North Carolinians give me the honor of serving them another term.

Most important accomplishments to date

I have dedicated my entire career to public service and am very proud of what I have accomplished for North Carolina during my first Senate term. I have delivered on a number of key priorities I laid out in my 2002 campaign, such as securing a tobacco quota buyout to pump $4 billion into the state's economy and save thousands of farm families from bankruptcy, protecting and expanding North Carolina's military installations during the base closure round, and obtaining concessions in free trade agreements and strengthening trade enforcement efforts.

There is much more I will work to accomplish in a second term - including addressing climate change through a market-driven approach, encouraging the adoption of uniform information technologies (IT) to help reduce errors and health-care costs by billions of dollars, and empowering North Carolina to build critical transportation projects and repair aging infrastructure, namely through a $50 billion Build America Bonds program.

What are three issues where your efforts and influence can make the greatest difference for the people of North Carolina?

There are many pressing issues, but one of the top concerns I hear about from North Carolinians is the broken immigration system. I provided the leadership to help halt the Senate immigration bill, which thousands of North Carolinians called, wrote and sent e-mails opposing, because it failed to first secure our borders and enforce our laws.

To help bring about results that would address the concerns of many North Carolinians, I have been working to tackle specific parts of the very complex immigration issue. For example, I worked with federal officials and sheriffs across North Carolina to deliver the nation's first statewide partnership plan for sheriffs to have access to and share information with federal immigration officials. This plan will ensure that all North Carolina sheriffs can readily access tools, such as 287g, to identify and help process undocumented aliens who have self-identified themselves by committing crimes.

I also continue to push for actions that will help construction, agriculture, tourism and other sectors have a reasonable way of hiring the workers they need. For example, I am calling for Senate and House leaders to bring forward legislation that I am cosponsoring that renews the H-2B returning worker provision, which allows small and seasonal businesses that rely on temporary labor to rehire individuals who have previously worked for them on an H-2B guest worker visa.

Another top concern I hear from constituents about is the affordability and accessibility of health care. I am working to delay a hastily proposed Medicaid regulation that would cost North Carolina hospitals more than $330 million annually for treating low-income and uninsured patients - costs that would be passed on to other patients, and even result in cuts to services and jobs and increases in local taxes. I succeeded in getting a moratorium on this regulation last year and am currently working to have the moratorium extended for another year. The last thing that Washington needs to do is rush to implement a policy that would make health care more expensive and less accessible.

Additionally, I am one of two Republican senators who helped craft and introduce legislation proposing a market-driven "cap and trade" system to reduce emissions and help reverse the growing climate change crisis. American leaders have a responsibility to future generations to address climate change in a way that not only cleans our air, land and water, but also strengthens our economy, competitiveness and security.

What should be the U.S. goal in Iraq? How can it be achieved?

I have been frustrated with the situation in Iraq and the mistakes made by the Bush Administration. The costs in American lives and U.S. taxpayer dollars have been enormous.

I have recently called for requiring Iraq to fund a decidedly greater share of the costs for its reconstruction and stabilization. My colleagues and I wrote to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid arguing that much of the funding to Iraq should be provided in the form of a loan. The time has come to end the blank-check policy and require the Iraqis to take greater responsibility for these costs and invest in their own future.

I want our troops to come home as soon as possible, but I do not support a precipitous withdrawal or date-specific timeline. A conspicuous gap exists between two policy positions - withdrawal contingent on security conditions versus mandated withdrawal. We must work to find common ground based on shared principles wherever we can.

Let me also add that I am very concerned that our military is being over-extended by the commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. This strain on our forces has negative implications for military readiness and for our military personnel. Lengthy and repeated deployments place enormous stress on service members and their families. Be assured, I take very seriously my responsibility to serve the more than 100,000 North Carolina-based service members and their families. I welcome the Army's decision to scale back deployments to Iraq from 15 months to 12 months. This new policy, along with the decision to increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps, will begin to reduce the stress on our forces and their families.

How will you help North Carolinians achieve greater educational and economic opportunities?

North Carolina must have a pro-business environment to attract new companies and jobs to the state. It is critical, especially during these economically challenging times, that we help those who need it most while also taking the steps necessary to grow our economy, such as:

Making tax relief permanent for families and small businesses;

Ensuring that trade agreements are fair for North Carolina;

Investing in transportation and other infrastructure to foster economic growth; Strengthening education and job training programs.

I am a staunch supporter of our state's higher education institutions and believe they are essential to keeping North Carolina competitive in an increasingly global economy. Additionally, community colleges play a critical role in educating and training the local workforce, and North Carolina has a top-notch community college network. I successfully pressed for the higher education bill to include measures modeled after my legislation, the Higher Education Affordability, Access, and Opportunity Act of 2007, to strengthen community colleges and job training programs. These measures include providing targeted grant funding to these institutions and streamlining the class credit transfer process.

I am also a strong supporter of Trade Adjustment Assistance, which is administered by the U.S. Labor Department and provides eligible displaced workers with job training and other reemployment services. I have introduced legislation to expand and improve this valuable program.

How much time should a senator spend addressing national and international issues vs. staying in touch with people at home?

North Carolina is a large and diverse state, which means there are numerous issues that I follow closely, and I have a hard-working staff that ensures I get timely updates on just about every front. It is my top priority to be responsive and attentive to the needs and concerns of North Carolinians, so the majority of my time is focused on North Carolina issues. This commitment to our state is reflected in my committee assignments, legislative priorities and daily meetings in the Senate.

In reviewing national or international affairs, my main consideration is how they affect our state. Many of these issues are of great importance to North Carolina - such as climate change, trade agreements and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

April 28, 2008