ALEXANDER MAKES IT OFFICIAL

Wearing an informal red-flannel shirt and carrying a pair of running shoes, Republican Lamar Alexander formally kicked off his presidential campaign in his hometown of Maryville, Tenn. The former Tennessee governor cast himself as a Washington outsider who will work to shift government power to the states. One of Alexander's top promises along those lines is to abolish the Education Department, which he headed under former President George Bush. TIME congressional correspondent Karen Tumulty says GOP presidential frontrunner Bob Dole is taking Alexander's candidacy very seriously. She says Dole adviser David Carney is worried Alexander could shed his underdog status quickly because none of the other candidates are attacking him.