Dole’s Wife Will Quit Cabinet to Aid His Campaign, CBS Says

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Hanford Dole will resign her Cabinet post on Oct. 1 to work with her husband, Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), during his presidential campaign, CBS reported Sunday.

Mrs. Dole told CBS that she would inform President Reagan of her plans at a 10 a.m. meeting today.

An Administration official confirmed late Sunday in an interview with the Associated Press that Mrs. Dole will meet with Reagan this morning. However, he would not comment on the specifics of the meeting, saying only that they would “discuss future plans.”

The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, refused to comment on the Oct. 1 date, saying: “I can’t speak to that. I guess we’ll find out more in the morning.”

Sen. Dole is expected to announce his candidacy officially in October.

“I love my job and the challenges it gives me,” Mrs. Dole had said Saturday before an appearance for the Dole for President Campaign at a GOP rally at a farm near Lexington, S.C.

“But, as time gets near for Bob’s announcement, I will have to assess my situation very seriously,” she said.

Mrs. Dole, a lawyer who has been married to the senator for 12 years, is the only woman in the Reagan Cabinet and has held the transportation post for 4 1/2 years.

She has said it is “curious” that people expect a candidate’s wife to give up a government job but make no such demands of candidates themselves.

“It’s a tough decision, very tough, because I love the job I’m in--it’s an extraordinarily challenging job,” Mrs. Dole was quoted as saying in a telephone interview with the New York Times.

The newspaper said Mrs. Dole was facing intense pressure by supporters of her husband, the Senate minority leader.

Supporters told Mrs. Dole that her full-time participation would help the senator’s chances, the newspaper said.

If Mrs. Dole leaves her post, Reagan would face a major vacancy in the Cabinet just 16 months before the end of his term.

Such transportation issues as airline safety and flight delays have made the Transportation Department a major agency over the last several years.