Southern Illinois residents who helped Sen. Bob Dole’s presidential campaign during the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses say they played a role in Dole winning the caucus.

As part of Gov. Jim Edgar’s effort to organize supporters for Dole, about 50 Dole supporters from Murphysboro went to Iowa to campaign door-to-door and handed out literature to people, Chris Grissom, Jackson County Republican Central Committee chairman said.

Grissom said he thinks the group helped Dole win the caucus.

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There’s not a big population there, but we did our part, Grissom said. It was kind of a unique, historic thing.

Cherryl Daugherty, a Murphysboro resident who went to Iowa, said the group could not stay for the whole caucus but played a big role in Dole’s success while in Iowa.

She said the Dole campaign rented a big bus for the supporters and said everywhere the group went, people were waving at them.

I’m sure they thought Bob Dole (R-Kansas) was on the bus, she said. One lady dragged her husband out to look at us.

Daugherty said she supports Dole because she thinks he is trying to get things done for America.

He never seems to lose his temper, she said. He is able to work with people of both parties.

Grissom said he would have liked to have seen Dole beat his lead opponent in the caucus, Pat Buchanan, by a larger margin than 3 percent.

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Dole got beat up by other candidates because he is the front runner, he said.

Grissom said the Murphysboro residents received a good reception from the people in Iowa, except for a little clash with Buchanan supporters.

A group of Buchanan supporters crossed their fingers at us, he said. They were going into the mall, and we were working. I hope they bought American-made goods.

Grissom said the Dole supporters did not get to meet Dole, but they were supposed to meet Dole’s wife. He said they were unable to meet her because the plane she came in on could not land due to high winds.

Steven Haynes, a Dole supporter and former SIUC student, said he went to the Iowa caucuses because he wanted the experience.

I consider myself to be a political junkie, he said. I was asked to volunteer, and I like a lot of beliefs that Dole has. I think he is the right person to lead this country into the next century.