Bush nominates Culbertson as ambassador

A top Republican fund raiser from Winston-Salem has earned a potential ambassadorship to the Netherlands.

James Culbertson will be nominated by President Bush for the job, the White House announced today. Culbertson was a "Ranger" for Bush in 2004, putting him in the top tier of fund raisers in the president’s re-election race, Barb Barrett reports.

Culbertson has been involved in Republican politics for decades, first volunteering for the state GOP party in the early 1970s, then starting his own company, Financial Computing Inc., according to Texans for Public Justice, which tracks Texas politics.

He was a major fund raiser for Sen. Elizabeth Dole and led Bush's state fund-raising efforts in 2000 and 2004.

Culbertson also has served on the North Carolina Banking Commission.

He and his wife, Germaine Culbertson, have given about $37,000 to federal Republican candidates since 1994, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit, non-partisan group that tracks spending in politics.

Last year, Culbertson was the state campaign chairman for presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani.

Culbertson has a bachelor's degree from the Citadel.