Though her defeat as an incumbent in this year's North Carolina Senate race — which included an attack ad associating her opponent with "godless" Americans — may herald the end of Dole's political career, it has nonetheless been a storied one, as she served under five Presidents. Appointed by President Reagan as the nation's eighth (and first female) Transportation Secretary, Dole pressed to improve automobile brake-light systems, provided incentives to manufacturers to include air bags in new vehicles and bolstered seat-belt use.