Posted on 03/12/2002 12:04:20 PM PST by areafiftyone
President Bush is scheduled to appear in Greenville later this month to raise money for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Lindsey Graham.
President Bush is scheduled to appear in Greenville later this month to raise money for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Lindsey Graham.
The $1,000 per ticket event is scheduled for March 27 at the Palmetto Expo Center, according to invitations that have been mailed.
White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo would neither confirm nor deny that a presidential visit is in the works. Trey Walker, Graham's strategist, referred inquiries to the White House.
Invitations billed the event as a luncheon "Salute to George W. Bush," but did not list the time. A reception will precede the luncheon.
Honorary chairmen for the event are Sen. Strom Thurmond, whose retirement has opened his seat after 46 years, and former Gov. Carroll Campbell.
A spokesman for Graham's likely Democratic opponent, former College of Charleston president Alex Sanders, was not immediately available.
It will be the first fund-raiser in South Carolina by a Republican president since May 11, 1990 when Bush's father helped Campbell take in $500,000 at an Executive Mansion event.
The visit should lay to rest any lingering suspicions of ill will left over from the 2000 Republican presidential primary campaign when Graham was a major supporter of Bush's principal challenger, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said state GOP chairman Henry McMaster.
"Lindsey's been working closely with the White House; they're good friends," McMaster said.
Whatever the status of Bush-Graham relations, each man needs the other.
With Democrats holding a razor-thin margin in the Senate, Bush and the GOP must hold Thurmond's seat and that of retiring Sen. Jesse Helms in North Carolina to have a shot at regaining the majority they lost in 2001 when Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords bolted to become an Independent which switched control of the Senate to the Democrats. Many of Bush's major non-war-related initiatives have been bottled up the in Senate.
Graham needs the signal that all is forgotten from the often bitter presidential primary -- and the potential $500,000 to $1 million boost to his campaign treasury.
Bush may, as he did in Charlotte last Wednesday, utilize part of the trip for official business to push policy initiatives, a maneuver that would allow the cost to be divided between the Republican National Committee and the White House, that is, the taxpayers, not the Graham campaign. He used the official portion of the visit to promote welfare-to-work proposals.
Then the president raised $1 million to be divided among Elizabeth Dole's U.S. Senate campaign, U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes of Concord, who provided a crucial aye vote on fast-track trade legislation, and the state GOP, in the three and one-half hour trip. Dole was a 2000 primary rival, but was forced out because of lack of funds. Three months later she endorsed Bush.
Graham is running for Senate unopposed by Republicans. There are 7 Republicans running for Gov.. I don't know why Campbell or any other Republican isn't running against the CFR loving Graham.
I don't no why, but Campbell is hardly ever talked about around here.
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