Ex-Secretary of Agriculture Endorses Dole
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WASHINGTON — Former Agriculture Secretary John R. Block endorsed Kansas Sen. Bob Dole’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination Friday as Dole said he would assemble the largest farmer coalition ever organized on behalf of a presidential candidate.
Block, who served as agriculture secretary for the first five years of the Reagan Administration, indirectly criticized President Reagan, saying Dole would be an effective negotiator with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.
“(Dole’s) not going to need someone feeding him cue cards. He’s not going to need three staff people feeding him advice,” Block said.
Dole said his National Ranchers and Farmers for Dole Committee, with 10,000 volunteers, will be the largest rural coalition ever organized on behalf of a presidential candidate.
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