Murphys Unite!

I guess Dubya has to do something to break the monotony of making speeches only "the Malkinites," as Atrios calls them, are listening to and riding in dune buggies while trying to look presidential.

Bush to headline event for Gerlach, Fitzpatrick

The president remains a popular draw on the Republican fundraising circuit, a party official says.

By Kori Walter
Reading Eagle

Pennsylvania Republicans facing stiff re-election battles for Congress this fall figure President Bush still packs a powerful fundraising punch despite his low job approval ratings.

The president is scheduled to headline a fundraising event on Wednesday in downtown Philadelphia for Rep. James W. Gerlach, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick and the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

GOP supporters will pay $5,000 for a VIP reception and photo session with Bush and $1,000 for dinner.

Gerlach, a Chester County Republican whose 6th Congressional District includes parts of Berks, is seeking a third two-year term.

He will face Democrat Lois Murphy, a Montgomery County lawyer, in a rematch of a 2004 contest, which Murphy lost by less than 7,000 votes.

Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican, is seeking a second term against Patrick Murphy, a Bucks County Democrat and an Army veteran who served in the Iraq War.

The president's approval ratings dipped to 30 percent among Pennsylvanians, according to a May 11 poll released by Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn.

But Mark Campbell, political director for the Gerlach campaign, said he is thankful for the president's fundraising help.

"Another way to look at it is Lois Murphy has Howard Dean, a radical leftist, and (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi, from San Francisco, and we have President Bush," Campbell said.

A Lois Murphy campaign spokeswoman said Bush's visit shows that Gerlach has marched lockstep with the Bush administration.

"Bush is rewarding Gerlach for carrying his water on Capitol Hill for the last four years," spokeswoman Amy Bonitatibus said. "It's clear that Jim Gerlach is Bush's right-hand man, and people of the 6th District have had enough."

Ed Patru, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Bush remains a popular draw on the GOP congressional fundraising circuit.

Recent presidential appearances raised $620,000 for an Indiana Republican and $820,000 for an Florida Republican, Patru said.

"The president is a tremendous ally for House Republicans working to maintain a majority" Patru said. "On the fundraising trail he remains popular among the grass-roots supporters."

In the 6th District race, Gerlach had slightly more than $1 million cash on hand while Murphy had $961,6222, according to the most-recent Federal Elections Commission reports.

And how "independent" is Mike Fitzpatrick again? Good question...