http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227855,00.html
"Therefore, no matter what your party affiliation or if you don't have a party affiliation, do your duty cast your ballot and let your voice be heard," Bush said.

The GOP says the president's five-day sprint through heavily Republican areas helped fire up the party's political troops. The hope is that the GOP's well-oiled, get-out-the-vote operation will be enough to fend off the Democrats' aggressive push to capture control of Congress.

Privately, however, Republicans acknowledge that their party has a slim chance of retaining the House after tight campaign races that, in many states, have turned into a referendum on the president himself, turmoil in Iraq and political scandals.

Bush, quick to denounce political prognosticators, put a positive spin his party's chances.

"I knew we were going to finish strong," Bush said at a rally in Arkansas where the audience was pumped up by a university band banging drums and cymbals. "I knew that we were going to come roarin' into Election Day because we've got the right position on taxes, we've got the right position on what it takes to protect you from attack."

• Click here to visit YOU DECIDE 2006, FOXNews.com's complete election center.

Sara Taylor, White House political director, said the president's presence helped at each stop on his final push to Election Day. For example, she said, Bush's trip to Sugar Land, Texas, on Oct. 30 helped the write-in candidacy of Shelley Sekula-Gibbs to replace former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who resigned amid investigations about his fundraising.

"He is energizing voters in contested races in areas where turnout will make the difference," Taylor said.

Still, the White House had to battle the perception that Bush was doing his party as much harm as good — and was unwanted in some districts. The White House did not hide its irritation when the Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate, Charlie Crist, skipped a chance to campaign at Bush's side in the Florida Panhandle. Crist said his support was firm there and it made more sense to campaign elsewhere in the state.

In recent history, the best any party has done when the popularity of the man sitting in the Oval Office has dipped below 50 percent was in 1978. That year, when President Carter's approval was 49 percent, his party lost 15 seats in the House, the same number that Democrats need to regain control of the House this year.

Out to beat the odds, Bush, his shirt sleeves rolled up, bounded onto the stage at each rally in Montana, Nevada, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Florida, Arkansas and Texas.

Bush's schedule for the last lap took him to places like Elko, Nev., and other small to mid-size cities where he could create a buzz and draw wall-to-wall coverage from local media.

"The smaller the place, the more exciting it is," said Stephen Hess, a George Washington University public affairs professor who has worked in several Republican administrations.

"But what is it telling us that he's in Elko instead of Cleveland?" Hess asked. "He'd been better off if he could have been in places where he could be seen by 100,000 rather than 10,000."

At nearly every stop, several dozen protesters shouted and waved mostly anti-war signs at Bush's motorcade. One in Grand Island, Neb., said: "Stay the curse," a denunciation of Bush's "Stay the course" strategy in Iraq.

Did Bush sway voters in the south-central Nebraska town of 16,685?

"I don't think it's going to make that much of a difference," said Dwayne Niemoth, a disabled Vietnam veteran from Campbell, Neb. "I hope so, but I think it's pretty much decided."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/ ... 6277.shtml

IF BUSH BACKED A CANDIDATE, WOULD YOU BE…
(Among registered voters)

More likely to vote for candidate
10%

Less likely to vote for candidate
31%

Wouldn’t make a difference
57%

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:BW- ... =firefox-a

Bush visits a once-solid GOP district
The president was campaigning for a Texas write-in candidate in a heated race for DeLay's former seat.
By Ron Hutcheson
McClatchy Newspapers

SUGAR LAND, Texas - President Bush returned to Texas yesterday to rally Republicans in the heart of Bush country. He had his work cut out for him.

The president's visit to Sugar Land, about 20 miles southwest of Houston, was another indication of how tough times seem for Republicans. Just a few years ago, no one would have predicted that the party would be struggling to hang on to the district that launched former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's political career.

"I'm not thrilled with either party right now," said Greg McKeehan, who supported both Bush and DeLay in past elections. "I don't think it would be a bad idea for the Republican Party to get a little smack in the face."

Bush acknowledged his personal stake in the outcome as he urged the crowd to back Republican candidate Shelley Sekula-Gibbs for the House seat in DeLay's former district. Democrats would need to gain 15 House seats and six Senate seats to take control of Congress, a development that could derail Bush's plans for his final two years in office.

"We're going to elect Shelley, and we're going to control the House" and Senate, Bush said.

A Democratic victory in Texas' 22d District would have symbolic significance beyond the ties to DeLay. It is the kind of area that both parties view as the battleground of the future, a fast-growing suburban melting pot.

Explosive growth in recent years has made Sugar Land one of the most diverse communities in the nation. Students in the local school district speak more than 80 languages at home.

The changing population has reduced the Republican vote in recent elections, but Bush still captured 64 percent of it in 2004.

"Under normal circumstances, you'd think it would be a pretty safe seat for Republicans, but this is not normal," said Richard Murray, a political-science professor at the University of Houston. "It's just one of those unusual combinations of unrelated events that nobody could foresee."

DeLay's resignation came too late for Republicans to find someone to replace him on the Nov. 7 ballot, so party leaders anointed Sekula-Gibbs, a Houston city councilwoman, to run as a write-in candidate.

To cast a ballot for her, voters will have to use a dial on the state's new electronic voting machines to highlight each letter of her name before typing the letters on a keyboard.

Election officials say they will count any vote that comes anywhere close to the right spelling.

Democratic candidate Nick Lampson represented a neighboring district until DeLay engineered his defeat. The powerful majority leader pressured the Texas Legislature to redraw the state's congressional districts to benefit Republicans.

Local party officials worry that voter disillusionment with DeLay, Bush and the Republican Congress will depress GOP turnout and give Lampson sweet revenge.

"Our biggest problem is we've got to get all the Republicans out" to vote, said Wayne Chandler, a Republican precinct chairman in Sugar Land.

ELECTION RESULTS FOR TEXAS
TX - U.S. House - District 22
100% Precincts Reporting
Nick Lampson Democrat 76,743 (52%)
Shelley Sekula Gibbs (WI) Republican 61,813 (42%)
Bob Smither Libertarian 9,008 (6%)

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article ... ryid=63889
President Bush visits Michigan; raises $700,000
Created: 10/26/2006 9:58:49 PM
Updated: 10/26/2006 10:01:40 PM

WARREN, Mich. (AP) - President Bush headlined a fund-raiser in Warren tonight that raised $700,000 for Republican U-S Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.

He told the crowd that the Democrats are (quote) "dancing in the end zone" when they're only on the 15 yard line.

Before arriving at the fund-raiser, Bush and Bouchard stopped by the Morley Candy Makers factory.

Before coming to Michigan, Bush was in Des Moines, Iowa, at lunchtime. He helped raise $400,000 for the state Republican Party and congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti. The president mistakenly referred to Lamberti as "Dave" throughout his speech.

In his speeches, Bush hammered the same themes he has been using against the Democrats all fall that they want to raise taxes and are soft on terrorism. Democrats say the rhetoric is just an attempt to distract voters from Bush's failures in Iraq.

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:Cac ... =firefox-a

Sunday, October 29, 2006
Bush visits Indiana, rallies behind embattled Rep. Sodrel
President Bush told a roaring crowd yesterday at Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Ind., that "the election of Mike Sodrel is important for the United States of America." Sodrel, a first-term congressman, is locked in a tight battle with Democrat Baron Hill, who served six years in the House before the Republican ousted him two years ago.

MI RESULTS
Debbie Stabenow (i) Democrat 2,133,162 (57%)
Michael Bouchard Republican 1,555,726 (41%)
Leonard Schwartz Libertarian 26,919 (1%)
David Sole Green 23,793 (1%)
Dennis FitzSimons U.S. Taxpayers Party

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/2006 ... /110040068

Bush visits Colorado to boost Beauprez's bid for governor
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 4, 2006

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ENGLEWOOD - President Bush showed he still has clout when it comes to fundraising after supporters had to be turned away from a Wednesday reception for GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, who is lagging behind his Democratic opponent.

Bush said Beauprez needs more than just money, he needs help to make sure Republicans keep control of the governor's office with Gov. Bill Owens stepping down because of term limits.

"Campaigns are more than just raising money. It helps, don't get me wrong," Bush said. "But the next governor is going to need your help turning out the vote. ... I want to thank you for what you've done and encourage you to support Bob Beauprez and turn out that vote come November.

"And while you're doing it, make sure we get these congressional candidates back in office, too."

Two years ago, Democrats picked up two open congressional seats in Colorado and majority control of the Legislature for the first time since the early 1960s. This year, they hope to take the governor's office and at least one of two open House seats.

Colorado backed Bush in 2000 and 2004 and Bob Dole in 1996. Democrats hope to capture the state's sizable bloc of unaffiliated voters, who comprise 34 percent compared to 36 percent registered Republican and 30 percent registered Democrat.

Beauprez, a two-term congressman from the Denver suburbs, faces a tough opponent in Democrat Bill Ritter, a former Denver district attorney seen as a moderate. On Wednesday, Ritter reported raising reported more than $225,000 during the second half of September, bringing his monthly total for the month to $425,000 and his campaign-to-date figure to $3.2 million.

Beauprez spokesman John Marshall said Beauprez raised $264,000 during the same period, bringing his total to about $2.8 million.

Marshall said he did not know how much money was raised at the fundraiser, but he said supporters were turned away at the door after they exceeded the 500-person limit at the hotel where the reception was held.

Ritter conceded Bush is a powerful influence even with low public opinion numbers.

"He's still the ATM machine for the Republican Party. This guy is still going to raise the dough," he said.

Lame-duck Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., said it has been a tough year for Republicans, including some who have tried to distance themselves from Bush.

"This is not an easy year, but it's a year when we must have victories. I never have and I never will distance myself from this president," Hefley told the crowd.

Beauprez and the president have not always seen eye to eye on the thorny topic of illegal immigrants. Marshall said Beauprez wants a tougher guest worker program than the one advocated by the president and Beauprez wants to focus on securing the border before any attempts are made to reform the system.

"He hasn't been disagreeable, but they haven't always agreed," Marshall said.

GOP political consultant Walt Klein said Bush's visit added prestige to Beauprez's campaign.

"The president's numbers in Colorado are not as strong as two years ago, but he's still a popular figure here," Klein said.

Klein said he thinks Beauprez was right to wait in responding to attacks from Ritter, saying Coloradans who are willing to vote for candidates from either party usually wait until the last few weeks to decide on which candidate gets their vote.

"The battle has just begun. You can't win an election in September and early October," Klein said.

ELECTION RESULTS FOR COLORADO
Bill Ritter (D) 778,510 56%
Bob Beauprez (R) 565,871 41%
Dawn Winkler-Kinateder (L) 20,494 1%
Paul Fiorino (U) 9,615 1%
Clyde Harkins (A) 8,698 1%