Vice President Dick Cheney coming to Cape Girardeau for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder fundraiser

Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Cape Girardeau later this month for a private fundraiser to benefit Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

According to the invitation, individuals will pay $250 each to attend a reception Oct. 20 at the home of lawyer and conservative author David Limbaugh. Big spenders will be able to get their picture taken with Cheney for $1,250 for individuals and $2,500 for couples.

Representatives of Kinder's campaign would not comment on the event until the White House communications office confirmed the event was on Cheney's schedule. Jamie Hennigan, assistant press secretary, did so by e-mail late Friday and said additional details of Cheney's schedule while in Missouri would be released a couple of days before the visit.

Neither Kinder nor Limbaugh was available for comment. But James Harris, Kinder's campaign manager, said Kinder was pleased the Wyoming Republican would be in his hometown.

"I would say it is wonderful and we are pleased to have the vice president coming to Cape Girardeau," Harris said.

The fundraising appearance will be Cheney's fourth visit to Cape Girardeau. He was in town the first time in 1993 for a Republican fundraising event. He also campaigned in Cape Girardeau in 2000 when he was George W. Bush's running mate and again in 2002 to stump for Jim Talent during his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Cheney, who has been vice president since January 2001, is a former member of Congress, a former secretary of defense and was White House chief of staff during the administration of President Gerald Ford. He has been a polarizing figure during his tenure under President Bush, assigned early on to guide the administration's energy policies and because of his strong support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

So far no public events or news conferences are planned during Cheney's visit, said Lindsay Burcham, who is handling the logistics of the event for Capitol Consulting LLC, a Jefferson City, Mo., firm that specializes in fundraising for Republicans.

Burcham said she has been told Cheney will be in St. Louis earlier in the day for a similar event for another candidate, but she was unsure which Republican officeholder or candidate was to be the beneficiary of the vice president's help.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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