Posted: October 30, 2008, 5 a.m. EDT
When Elizabeth Dole, who is campaigning in North Carolina to retain her Senate seat, was invited to a Washington D.C. cocktail party over the weekend and couldn’t attend, she sent a popular substitute: her dog, Leader.
“Leader is always a big hit,” Dole spokesman Wes Climer told the Washington Post. Leader attended a party at the Watergate, where Dole and her husband Bob live while in D.C.
The gregarious Miniature Schnauzer is a well-known figure around Washington, and often accompanies Dole to her dog-friendly office in the Senate building, where the 8-year-old hangs out with two other four-legged “staffers.” “It makes it a very fun place to work,” Climer says.
Leader is actually the Doles’ second dog named Leader. Leader I, who died in 1999, was a gift from Dole to her husband when he became Senate majority leader. The Doles adopted Leader II soon after the original Leader died.
Climer says Leader shares his owners’ love for meeting people. “Leader is sorely disappointed that he was unable to join the senator on her bus tour this week,” says Climer, adding that Leader will join the Doles in North Carolina by Election Day.