ShareThisBy BARBARA BARRETT
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Sen. Elizabeth Dole's job as chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee had been to keep the Senate in GOP hands. It didn't happen.
Now, after two years in the Senate's GOP leadership, Dole tumbles into the minority _ back to her status as freshman senator from North Carolina and, perhaps, out of favor among Republican activists frustrated at election results.
Dole is satisfied with her performance.
"I can sleep well at night knowing we did everything possible to hold the Senate," Dole said in a telephone interview. "All I know is I worked my head off, and that's all you can do."
She held out hope until the end, saying even at mid-day Thursday that "the Senate is not settled." Hours later Republican incumbents in Montana and Virginia conceded, and the Senate officially slipped Democratic by the narrowest of margins.
The reasons for the GOP losses are varied: not enough money, not enough time, not enough political magic to counter the curse of voter dissatisfaction with Iraq, President Bush and congressional corruption.
"It was just too massive to overcome it," Dole said.
Throughout the campaign season, Dole was steadfast in her support of Bush and unpopular Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Even on Sunday, she said on a network talk show that Rumsfeld didn't need to leave.
This week the president fired Rumsfeld, accepting his resignation publicly Wednesday.
Dole acknowledged that an earlier departure for the secretary might have made a difference.
"It could have," she said in response to a question. "It very well could have."
Privately, there have been Republican grumbles for the past year about Dole's fundraising. Although she raised 12 percent more money in the past two years than her committee did in the previous election cycle, her receipts fell far short of the check-nabbing prowess of her Democratic counterpart, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York.
The money mismatch hurt candidates in the trenches, said some Republicans.
One of the most-watched states was Missouri, where incumbent Sen. Jim Talent seemed safe until a strong run by the Democratic challenger, Claire McCaskill. She won in a close vote.
John Hancock, a political adviser to Talent, said it might have helped if the Republican senatorial committee had sent more money into the state, and sent it earlier. Instead, the Democrats' Senate committee poured in millions for McCaskill.
But Hancock and others said neither Dole nor her committee is responsible.
Charlie Cook, publisher of the Cook Political Report in Washington, said Bush should shoulder most of the blame.
"Is there going to be criticism of Senator Dole? Yes," Cook said. "Is it justified? Well, look: Is she the greatest fund-raiser the Republicans and the NRSC have ever had? No."
But, Cook said, blaming the losses on Dole "is just crazy."
Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes Senate races for the Cook Political Report, said Dole shouldn't have problems among colleagues.
"What she doesn't have is a bunch of freshmen who are grateful for her help," Duffy said. "But I don't think she burns bridges. Even the most partisan people have to look around and say, 'Well, nothing could've been done.'"
As far as politics goes, Dole now turns to another important race: her own re-election in 2008.
She already has begun raising money.
(Reach Barbara Barrett at (202) 383-0012 or bbarrett(at)mcclatchydc.com)
