Bush coming to Raleigh for McCrory

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:46:08 -0400

President Bush will be coming to Raleigh next month to raise money for GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and the state Republican Party.

Bush is scheduled to attend a high-dollar fundraiser on July 20 at the home of John Kane, the chairman of Kane Realty Corp., who is redeveloping the North Hills area, Rob Christensen reports.

"The president will be coming in for a fundraising event," confirmed Jack Hawke, McCrory’s chief consultant. "There are still a lot of people in North Carolina that are wiling to take part in a fundraising event where the president is a guest of honor. We expect to do very well."

With the president's ratings so low, having Bush come in for a campaign event carries political risks. McCrory, the Charlotte mayor, is facing Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in the governor's race.

But Hawke said national issues will have little impact on the governor's race.

"Our campaign will concentrate on the state of North Carolina and the problems the state has — from corruption, to mismanagement, to a high tax rate," he said. "That has very little with what is going on at the national level."