After placing third in the August straw poll, Republican presidential candidate Elizabeth Dole is expanding her campaign to include all 99 counties in Iowa.

“We want her to be represented in all precincts, so the first step is to get to the counties,” said Monty Shaw, Iowa campaign manager for Dole.

Shaw also said Dole’s campaign picked up 30 former leaders of Lamar Alexander’s campaign. Alexander dropped out of the race a few days after the straw poll.

Dole is viewed as targeting the youth vote, especially females who haven’t been involved in American politics, but she has a wide spectrum of support, Shaw said.

“She dips into everyone from modern Republicans to Democrats,” she said. “Young students are excited about her campaign and are signing up and getting active.”

Diane Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, said people have a great an interest in Dole’s campaign, especially women.

“I think two-thirds of her support were women at the straw poll, and most of them were not previously active,” she said.

Dole’s campaign has taken the backseat to Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s campaign, but she still has received plenty of attention as one of the few women ever to run for the presidency.

“Right now, Bush is ahead and doing well, but it’s still early,” Bystrom said.

“[Dole’s] also challenging long-held concepts of what a president should look like.”

Another issue for Dole is raising money to contend with the Bush campaign.

“She’s been supported mostly by women, but she’s raising more money than the rest of the candidates, except Bush,” Bystrom said.

Dole’s r‚sum‚ has attracted voters.

She has served as the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Transportation and President of the American Red Cross.

“She can be viewed as a Washington insider, but she’s not an elected politician, so she can be seen as an outsider,” said Glenn Richardson, temporary assistant professor in political science. “She also brings different aspects to politics along with sensitivity concerns.”

Some in the Republican ranks are holding out on their judgment on Dole.

“She has a good campaign in Iowa like many of the candidates,” said Chad Barth, state chairman of Iowa Federation of College Republicans, “but how Dole will do in the caucuses will be how many people she’ll get out to vote.”