Governor George W. Bush opened the 2000 election year yesterday by winning the valuable endorsement of Mrs Elizabeth Dole, a former rival for the Republican presidential nomination.
Mrs Dole, who ended her bid for the White House in October after raising $5 million - less than a tenth of what Mr Bush had collected at that time - called the Texas Governor "a president Americans could trust".
"I support Governor Bush not only because I think he can win, but because I know he can lead," she said at a community reception in New Hampshire, site of the nation's first primary on February 1st.
Mrs Dole, a two-time Cabinet member and former president of the American Red Cross, could help Mr Bush attract more women voters, as well as the independents, who are a crucial constituency in New Hampshire.
"Elizabeth Dole is a leader in our party and our country," Mr Bush said. "She is admired and respected across America . . . Her support is great news for my campaign during the critical final four weeks before New Hampshire's primary."
Immediately after the formal announcement, Mrs Dole joined Mr Bush aboard his campaign plane en route to Iowa, where she will appear at his side during stops in Des Moines and Davenport.
With three weeks until the state's caucus on January 24th, the first lap of the marathon presidential race, Mr Bush, his Republican rivals and their Democratic counterparts are criss-crossing the wintry landscapes of both Iowa and New Hampshire in search of votes.
In another sign of the quickening pace of the campaign, Mr Bush is to join his five Republican opponents in a debate on January 10th in Michigan, their third confrontation in less than a week. They also will debate on consecutive nights in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Mr Bush, flush with money - he raised more than $67 million in 1999 - begins 2000 far ahead in national polls. His most realistic challenger appears to be Arizona's Senator John McCain, who is running strongly in New Hampshire and even has edged ahead of Mr Bush in some public opinion polls in the state.
Republican Party sources said it was still unclear if Mrs Dole's husband, former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican Party's unsuccessful 1996 presidential nominee, would endorse any candidate at this point.
Mr Dole caused something of a domestic stir last year when he told the New York Times he was considering making a campaign donation to Senator McCain, one of his wife's rivals.