Description

Traveling on a political campaign with a presidential candidate is a complicated logistical dance. In addition to the candidate, your partners for that dance include the campaign staff, the security detachment, the transportation crew, guests, and other colleagues from the media. All the luggage, crew equipment, campaign gear and supplies need to be moved from stop to stop.

To assist the transportation staff in routing what goes where, special tags were assigned by the Dole campaign. Topside tags went on gear that had to get on and off the aircraft immediately. Crews would wait under the wing of the aircraft to videotape the candidate while he went onboard. They would then take their gear Topside. After landing at the next location, the crews would deplane before the candidate and, with the Topside gear, take video of the candidate waving as he came down the aircraft steps. The Staff, Media and Guest tags identified what groups certain bags belonged too so they could be sorted out and picked up. Another Press Baggage tag was issued by the Secret Service for press equipment that was “swept” or checked out by agents daily, and kept within the secure zone with the candidate during the day’s events.

Republican candidate Bob Dole meets his press corps outside his campaign aircraft during the 1996 presidential campaign. (Credit: Robert J. Dole Archives)