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.