In his fundraising appearance at the Joyce Center last Thursday, Vice President Dick Cheney raised more than $200,000 for Congressman Chris Chocola's 2004 re-election campaign.
The success of Cheney's recent visit increased Chocola's campaign fund substantially, advancing his total past the $500,000 mark.
More than a year before the election, Cheney's assistance has armed freshman Chocola to defend his highly contested seat and the Republican majority in Congress.
The event was surprisingly lucrative for a fundraiser held during a non-election year. A non-election year appearance need only raise half the funds of an election year event to be considered successful, Chocola told The South Bend Tribune.. (SB Trib)
Prior to the election of 2002, Cheney visited the Joyce Center in a similar capacity and raised $250,000 for Chocola's first congressional race.
President Bush visited South Bend two months before the 2002 congressional election and generated $650,000 for Chocola and the Indiana Republican Party, propelling Chocola to victory.
The Second Congressional District race is one of the most significant and expensive congressional battles in the country. Candidate spending surpassed $3.2 million in 2002.
