Lets be frank here
Dole lost North Carolina! The GOP got throttled in the last election and that sank allot of good senators here is why Coleman lost
(1) Zero-Mania: The 0ne took Minnesota by 10 points and Coleman ‘lost’ by only a few hundred many of which where ahem ‘found votes’.
(2) The Timing of the collapse: a month before election this hurt anyone remotely attached to Bush who was wrongfully singled out by the media
North Carolina being my second home for my entire life, I knew instantly that Dole was a mismatch for that state. She slipped through the first time around because Helms supporters were hoping for the best, but it became apparent that she was a totally ineffective, terribly packaged, beltway elitist.