Dole Has Trimmed Vp List, Perhaps To Three Candidate Scheduled To Announce His Decision On A Running Mate Saturday In His Hometown Of Russell, Kan.

Amid swirling speculation, Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole on Wednesday worked on his last big chore before heading to the San Diego convention - selecting a running mate.

Campaign aides say Dole has narrowed down a list of vice presidential candidates to what may be as few as three finalists. He is scheduled to announce his decision in his native Russell, Kan., on Saturday.

A number of names have surfaced in recent days as likely candidates, including those of Sen. Connie Mack of Florida, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell.

Other prominent Republicans mentioned for the job include former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, former Defense Secretary Richard Cheney, Michigan Gov. John Engler and Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles.

Dole’s campaign hopes the vice presidential selection, along with his economic plan announced earlier this week and his convention speech, will boost the lagging fortunes of the GOP candidate.

A New York Times-CBS News poll taken Aug. 3-5 indicated that only 17 percent of the 1,166 people surveyed believe Dole will beat President Clinton in November. Even Republicans picked the president by a 61 percent to 30 percent margin.

Dole has said that in selecting a vice presidential candidate, he is searching for a “10.” But so far, he has had trouble courting the most exciting personalities in his party. Retired Gen. Colin Powell, who would help Dole draw moderate voters, has repeatedly said he is unavailable.

New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, an abortion-rights advocate who might help Dole with women but who would alienate conservatives, has also said she is not interested.

Some popular Republican governors still may be in the mix, including Wisconsin’s Tommy Thompson and Illinois’ Jim Edgar, although the Dole campaign said Thompson had been dropped from the list Wednesday.

Political observers say that while some have urged Dole to chose an untraditional candidate who would jolt voters into paying attention to his campaign, history shows that is generally not a successful tactic.

George Bush’s selection of little-known Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle in 1988 proved a public relations disaster, as the media probed his past, including his lack of military service in Vietnam.

Conservative magazine editor Bill Kristol, former chief of staff for Quayle, agreed that the vice presidential selection is “a matter of cutting your losses and finding someone who won’t blow up in your face.”

The leading names being floated would bring both pluses and minuses to the ticket.

Mack, a solid conservative who opposes abortion, could help Dole in electoral vote-rich Florida. But the senator is a Washington insider who is not well known nationally.

Campbell, who was crucial in helping Dole beat back a challenge by Pat Buchanan during the South Carolina Republican primary, might help Dole solidify support in the South. But he is also a lobbyist with the insurance industry who had several controversies during his years as governor, including charges that he ran an anti-Semitic campaign.

McCain, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, has a warm relationship with Dole and would help accentuate the differences with Clinton, who avoided military service in Vietnam. But he was also involved in a high-profile financial scandal and a messy divorce.