EW YORK - As hard as Elizabeth Dole tried to make her bid for the GOP presidential nomination more than one-dimensional, she still was defined by her gender and could not jump the barrier of being the only woman in the race.
That was clear from the way the media described and questioned her, the way curious young women with instant cameras would flock around her, and the way she failed to tap into the network of rich male donors who supported the candidacy of her husband, former GOP Senator Bob Dole, in 1996.
Polls say a sizable majority of Americans are ready to put a woman in the White House. But analysts say that as long as there is only one female in the contest, the novelty of her gender will probably overshadow the substance and the message that would attract financial support and votes.
Yesterday, Dole turned it into a men-only race, announcing that a lack of money made it impossible for her to go forward with a presidential campaign. She said she did not think women would be discouraged by her withdrawing because ''I think what we've done is pave the way for the person who will be the first woman president. I'm just delighted by what has happened because I feel like we've really made a great contribution.''
Mary Hawkesworth, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, called Dole ''extraordinarily brave,'' but was sorry to see her abandon her race.
''I certainly am discouraged,'' Hawkesworth said. ''Dole was trying to mobilize young women voters who haven't been actively involved in politics. To have a woman capture that excitement is terrific to see. To have it knocked out by the power of money is a sad thing to watch.''
Dole isn't the first White House 2000 aspirant to drop out, but unlike her rivals and unlike any female candidates before, Dole targeted her fund-raising on women. She was not unsuccessful - she raised almost 50 percent of her $5 million from women. But that only enhanced the perception that gender was the focus of Dole's candidacy.
Dole denied she was running as a woman candidate, though she always ended her stump speech with a reference to how she was ''making history.''
Yesterday, she said she had been trying to reach out to women. ''It's almost as if you see some women sit up a little straighter because you're trying to empower them to understand that they can do it, '' she said.
Former US Representative Patricia Schroeder, who made a short-lived run in the 1988 White House race, asked why this was not translating into support, answered: ''Because she sent a confusing message - she said she wanted to make history, but no one had seen her in the women's movement when it was making history.''
There was also confusion about Dole's message. She said she was not the women's candidate. But on a host of issues - gun control, education, school safety, controlling illegal drugs - Dole hit all the hot buttons that pollsters say appeal to women. She was also cautious on what she said about abortion. She insisted she was against abortion but quick to add she would not lead a charge as president to restrict abortion rights.
She also seemed so feminine, telling little stories about her house-husband in her honeyed drawl, color-coordinating her outfits, and looking more like a candidate for president of the Republican women's club than president of the United States.
''Elizabeth Dole had problems beyond money, a bumpy organization, and a failure to capitalize on her standing in the polls,'' said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political scientist at Claremont Graduate University. ''I don't think she was comfortable in her own skin.''
Marie Wilson, president of the White House Project, a group aiming to elect a woman president, said the fact that Dole was taken seriously and that she ''brought women out of the woodwork'' helped to lower the bar for future women candidates.
''But until we have more than one woman in the race, her agenda will be muted by gender,'' Wilson said.
Over and over Dole said she was not in the race to become some other nominee's running mate. But yesterday analysts handicapped her as a likely No. 2 precisely because she is attractive to women and has not taken feminist positions that alienate the Christian right or antiabortion activists.
''If the Republicans want to do something about the gender gap, Dole absolutely would be a very smart choice,'' said Elizabeth Sherman, director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts.
Kathleen Harrington, Dole's press secretary, said Dole ''honestly hasn't thought about it. She will measure her ability to make a difference, that's what matters to her.''
Geraldine Ferraro, who was the vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket in 1984, said, ''It's garbage'' to say voters won't support a woman candidate. ''Did Dan Quayle drop out because voters wouldn't support a male? Did Lamar Alexander drop out because voters wouldn't support a candidate with a Southern accent?'' Ferraro said. ''I'm disappointed Dole decided not to continue. I would have loved to see her debate the other guys in New Hampshire because she knows more than any of them.''
