Cheney pops into Twin Cities for fundraising event

Last update: June 9, 2008 - 9:11 PM

Vice President Dick Cheney visited the Twin Cities for about three hours Monday to raise money for Minnesota's Republican candidates for federal office.

The money, contributed by about 100 GOP supporters, was raised at a private home in Orono, said Gina Countryman, spokeswoman for the state Republican Party.

She would not identify the owner of the home or the exact amount raised for what is called "Minnesota Victory 2008," although she described the sum as "a six-figure take."

Both Cheney and President Bush have long been highly successful fundraisers for Republican candidates nationwide, even as their personal popularity has slipped in the waning days of Bush's second term.

Cheney's arrival and departure at a private aviation firm located at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were his only appearances open to the news media.

As is often the case when high-ranking officials or candidates visit, Cheney's caused a traffic snarl.

Traffic on Interstate Hwy. 394 in Plymouth was stopped for a brief time on Monday morning to allow his motorcade to pass through, said Tracey Martin, a spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

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