Dole Faces Tough Battle To Hold Seat

In North Carolina, the presidential race is a virtual dead heat, even though the state's been firmly in the GOP column for the last seven presidential elections. This trajectory has put a number of senate seats in danger across the nation, including one that's held by one of the most well known names in American politics - Republican Elizabeth Dole.

"All my rowdy friends are going to help reelect Elizabeth Dole to another term in the U.S. Senate," said Sen. Elizabeth Dole at a recent campaign rally.

In a race that's become surprisingly tight. Dole, the incumbent, is hoping to get by with a little help from her friends, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports. The first-term senator is an experienced Washington hand: A former secretary of transportation and labor who once headed the American Red Cross; wife of one time presidential hopeful Bob Dole; one of the first female graduates of Harvard Law School, known for her grit and grace.

But Barack Obama has made real headway in North Carolina and that's helped pave the way for the emergence of Kay Hagan, a five-term state senator who now has a good shot of winning.

"I think the key is Liddy Dole brought this on herself. She's been in office for one term and she really hasn't done anything," Hagan said. "I go across this state from Murphy to Manteo and people cannot tell me what she's done."

Dole begs to differ.

"I would certainly say jobs, jobs, jobs," she cited as one of her accomplishments. "Helping our textile and furniture manufacturers; The fact that we were able to save our public hospitals $330 million two years in a row, as the lead Republican handling those issues."

But Dole's biggest negative may be the "R" next to her name, which in this traditionally red state has almost become a scarlet letter.

"President Bush campaigned for you tirelessly in 2002 when you first ran but he hasn't really shown up in North Carolina this go-round. Why is that?" Couric asked Dole.

"Well, his father has been here and Laura Bush has been in the state a couple of times," Dole responded.

And smelling blood, the Democratic Party put out an ad that has some Dole supporters seeing red.

In the television spot, two elderly men seated in rocking chairs speculate about Dole's age - their guess is either 92 or 93. One of the men asks, "What's happened to the Liddy Dole I knew?" The other's reponse - "She's just not a go-getter like you and me."

"She votes with Bush 92 percent of the time. And she is ranked the 93rd, out of all of her 100 colleagues," Hagan says in defense of the ad.

When pressed by Couric if she was insinuating Dole was too old for the job, Hagen responded: "You know, Katie, everybody knows Elizabeth Dole is not 92 or 93 years old.

"She's 72, though," Couric said.

"But she's not 92," Hagan said.

Couric asked Dole if the ad was a snarky attack on her age.

"I think it was probably designed to do that," she laughed, claiming those attacks don't make her mad.

"You know, like I say, I stay focused."

Early voting and half a million newly registered voters are giving Hagan confidence. And she says the economy is beginning to convince even conservative Democrats who long supported Republican Senator Jesse Helms.

"I've been talking to a lot of farmers that are fully in my court - a lot of the other people in eastern North Carolina. Because it's jobs - it's because their wages have fallen," Hagen said.

But the Dole name and the Dole brand may neutralize the negative attacks. And this steel magnolia is not about to become a shrinking violet.