President Bush helped to bring in $1.5 million today for the reelection bid of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and
the state Republican Party, raising twice the amount the campaign had expected, a Santorum spokesman said.
Bush spoke to several hundred people at a private luncheon fundraiser held at the Bryn Mawr house of Mitchell
L. Morgan, the head of a local real estate firm.
The amount raised "says the President's popularity is very strong" in southeastern Pennsylvania, said Christine
Toretti-Olsen, the state's Republican national committeewoman...
About 200 protesters lined Montgomery Avenue, holding signs that challenged Santorum and Bush on
Social Security, environmental protection, the Iraq conflict and equal rights.
Bush is scheduled to deliver a speech on Social Security later this afternoon at the main campus of Pennsylvania
State University.
Bush in Bryn Mawr for luncheon
President Bush is expected to raise more than $750,000 today for Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's reelection
campaign during a swing through Pennsylvania that includes stops in Montgomery County and State College.
Bush will attend a Santorum luncheon at a home in Bryn Mawr before traveling to the main campus of Pennsylvania
State University to give a speech on Social Security.
John Brabender, Santorum's media consultant, said the fund-raiser would collect more money than the initial
projection of $750,000.
"It seems like it is going to go far beyond our earlier expectations," he said. "It will shatter what we
originally hoped for. We take this as a clear sign of the enthusiasm in Southeastern Pennsylvania."
Santorum, who is seeking a third term, faces a potentially difficult reelection fight next year. Recent
opinion polls show him trailing state Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr., the Democratic frontrunner...
Yesterday morning, at the site of the fund-raiser in Bryn Mawr, landscapers trimmed the hedges, florists
unloaded a truckload of flowers and workers washed the windows...
Tickets to the Santorum event cost $500 per couple for a luncheon of sandwiches and beverages, $1,000 for
a private reception and $10,000 for a picture with the President. Proceeds from the $10,000 tickets go to a federal account
operated by the Republican State Committee, because it can accept larger donations than a candidate campaign committee. The
account will benefit 2006 federal GOP candidates, including Santorum.
The campaign is reimbursing the President's travel costs, Brabender said, but an exact figure was not available
yesterday.
After lunch in Bryn Mawr, Bush will speak around 2:30 p.m. in State College on his proposal to overhaul
Social Security, including the establishment of personal investment accounts for workers.
