Dole, who served Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996 and campaigned in the Iowa caucuses during three presidential races,\u00a0died early Sunday.
Bob Dole became so well known to Iowans after crisscrossing the state during three presidential campaigns that he was sometimes referred to as Iowa’s “third senator.” Dole,98, died early Sunday morning in his sleep. A U.S. senator for Kansas from 1969 to 1996, Dole campaigned for president in 1980,1988 and 1996, and was best known for the 1996 campaign, when he won the Republican nomination but lost in the general election to incumbent Bill Clinton. Because of Iowa’s close proximity to Kansas, the states’ shared agricultural interests and the countless hands Dole shook in every county in Iowa over those three campaigns, Dole became known almost as well to Iowans as to his constituents in the Sunflower State. More: Bob Dole spent 60 years in the political spotlight. His rise to national prominence started in small-town Kansas. David Oman, a former press secretary and chief of staff for former Iowa Gov. Robert Ray, said Iowa politicians and even Des Moines Register reporters jokingly used the “Iowa’s third senator” phrase because of the amount of time he spent in the state. “We saw him back here that often,” Oman said. “The flip of that was that, after running in three caucuses and winning two of them, Dole liked to come out here and proclaim himself ‘The president of Iowa.'” Dole mentored U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley after Grassley was elected to the Senate in 1980, Oman said. Historically, Grassley avoided endorsing candidates before the Iowa caucuses, but there were two exceptions, and one involved Dole. In 1996, Grassley and then-Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad endorsed Dole over Lamar Alexander, Pat Buchanan, Phil Gramm and Arlen Specter. The other time was in 2000, when Grassley endorsed George W. Bush before the caucuses. In a statement, Grassley extended his condolences to Dole’s wife, Elizabeth, and the rest of his family. “Bob Dole was a faithful representative to the people of Kansas and a great civic leader for all Americans,” Grassley said. “He was also a loyal friend and trusted mentor. He set a standard of leadership through selflessness and mutual respect that all public servants should strive to match. A senator, soldier and statesman, Barbara and I are proud to call him friend.” Dole was athletic early in his life, playing football and basketball and running track at the University of Kansas.
