Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Bush lands another million

In Palm Beach County, bitterly contested electoral turf in 2000, the president raises lots of cash. Florida has given $11-million so far.

PALM BEACH GARDENS - President Bush came to the home of the butterfly ballot Thursday, sweeping up another $1-million in his bid to avoid another contested election in November.

"It's great to be back in the great state of Florida," he told hundreds of supporters at the PGA National Resort & Spa. "We carried it once, and we're going to carry it again."

This time, he hopes to carry it by more than 537 votes.

The president's 18th trip and seventh re-election fundraiser in Florida underscored the depth of the state's Bush network that barely put him in the White House four years ago.

Even before Thursday's $2,000-per-person reception, nearly 4,300 Floridians had written the maximum $2,000 checks to the Bush re-election campaign, a St. Petersburg Times analysis found.

Bush has raised roughly $11-million from the state this election cycle, nearly doubling the campaign's record-breaking Florida fundraising in 2000. The state continues to lead the nation in "Rangers," who have raised at least $200,000 for the campaign.

"We will not rest until you carry Florida and you get re-elected," declared the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush.

It was Bush's first presidential visit to Palm Beach County, the focal point in the contested 2000 election. Many Democrats complained that an unusual ballot design confused them, and more than 19,000 ballots were nullified because they included two or more presidential votes.

Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, placed between Bush and Gore on the Palm Beach ballot, got more than 3,400 votes in the Democratic stronghold, twice what he received in any other Florida county.

President Bush made no mention of the county's notorious "butterfly" ballots and hanging chad. Those ballots are now banned in Florida.

Outside the resort, about 60 protesters and supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean of Vermont held placards saying, "Don't Blame Me. I Voted with the Majority" and "They Stole our Votes. Palm Beach County Remembers."

Inside, Bush kept to his standard stump speech. He did not mention his Democratic opponents. He promoted his efforts to cut taxes and revive the economy, bring more accountability to education and fight terrorism.

"We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the Middle East," he said on a day when nine Americans were killed in Iraq. "You see, they know that the advance of freedom would be a major defeat for the cause of terror. This collection of killers is trying to shake the will of the United States. The United States will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins."

Bush said Libya's agreement to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction illustrates America's foreign policy is making the world safer.

"Leaders around the world now know weapons of mass destruction do not bring influence or prestige. They bring isolation - and other unwelcome consequences," he said to laughter and applause.

The president's Palm Beach trip followed a visit to an inner-city school in Knoxville, Tenn., where he said he would seek an extra $2-billion in federal education spending aimed at poor and disabled students. He also attended a Tennessee fundraiser that raised another $1-million.

Bush has raised about $130-million, more than all nine Democratic contenders combined, and is on track to meet his $170-million goal. Florida has played a big role in that success, with 17 Floridians having become Rangers by Nov. 30 for raising at least $200,000. Another 17 Floridians are designated Pioneers for raising at least $100,000.

Boca Raton developer Mark Guzzetta, one of the hosts of Thursday's reception, urged supporters to "protect your investment" and mobilize voters for Bush.

"We all know what one or two votes can mean," he said.

Since late June, Bush has raised money in every region of the state except the Panhandle. Republican strategists acknowledge the pool of $2,000 contributors is shrinking, but Bush is expected to continue holding events aimed at smaller contributors.

What's more, GOP fundraisers are gearing up to raise millions in "soft money" contributions for the state party, which is not constrained by $2,000 limits on individual contributions. While campaign finance laws bar using such unlimited contributions directly on the president's campaign, they will play a big role in mobilizing Republican voters in November.

The president was joined Thursday by his former Housing secretary, Mel Martinez, who is running in the crowded Republican primary for the U.S. Senate nomination. No other Republican candidates for Democrat Bob Graham's Senate seat were present.

- Computer-assisted reporting specialist Connie Humburg contributed to this report.