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The Road To '96

During the 50th anniversary of the storming of Normandy Beach, when other veterans greeted him as a hero, bringing grandchildren to meet him, Dole said he began thinking about another run for presidency.

Having lost in 1980 and 1988 gave him concern. Also, he believed the election of Bill Clinton marked the beginning of a younger generation's monopoly on the White House. He considered retiring from politics altogether; then, the 1994 mid-term elections changed his thinking.

Although Dole has a reputation for being honest and open when negotiating legislation in the Senate, he keeps his cards very close to his vest. In January 1995, after Republicans regained control of the Senate and there was speculation Dole was going to run for president, he made signs that he was about to enter the race, telling members of the leadership he expected them to act as a group when he was not in Washington.

In February 1995, while appearing as a guest on David Letterman, Dole first said he would run for president in 1996. Dole formally announced his third bid for the presidency on the steps of the State Capitol in Topeka, Kan., on April 10, 1995. Dole said his mandate as president "would be to rein in the federal government in order to set free the spirit of the American people; to reconnect our government in Washington with the common sense values of our citizens; and to reassert American interests wherever and whenever they are challenged around the world."

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