Topeka ? A spokeswoman for the Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence says former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole has been readmitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Dole Institute spokeswoman Heather Anderson told The Topeka Capital-Journal that Dole was admitted to the hospital Thursday. The Associated Press was unable to immediately verify his status Friday after leaving several messages with Walter Reed and the Dole Institute.

The 87-year-old Russell native spent 10 months at Walter Reed last year after suffering pneumonia three times following knee surgery in February.

Dole was first elected to the U.S. House in 1960 and to the Senate in 1968. He was President Gerald Ford’s running mate in 1976 and launched his own unsuccessful bid for president in 1996.