Sources familiar with the situation said the Bush-McCain event was not selling enough tickets to fill the Convention Center space, and that there were concerns about more anti-war protesters showing up outside the venue than attending the fundraiser inside.
Another source said there were concerns about the media covering the event.
Bush’s Arizona fundraising effort for McCain is being moved to private residences in the Phoenix area. A White House official said the event was being moved because the McCain campaign prefers private fundraisers and it is Bush administration policy to have events in public venues open to the media. The White House official said to reconcile that the Tuesday event will be held at a private venue and not the Convention Center.
Convention Center personnel confirmed the event has been canceled at their venue.
Tickets to the event were to range from $1,000 to $25,000 for VIP treatment. Money was to go toward McCain’s presidential bid and a number of Republican Party organs.
Anti-war protesters were planning to be out in force. President Bush’s job approval rating stands at 31 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.com.
The McCain campaign referred questions on the fundraiser change to the White House press office.
In addition Bush plans to be at other McCain fundraisers:
The White House announced today that President George W. Bush will do three fundraisers for John McCain and the Republican Party next week – all of them closed to press coverage.
CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports the first fundraiser will be in Phoenix on May 27th, followed by stops in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah the following day. McCain is also expected to attend all three events, which will be held in private homes.*
As Knoller has previously noted in Horserace, Mr. Bush is an extremely adept and active fundraiser: The president has attended more than 300 fundraisers since taking office, raising three quarters of a billion dollars for the GOP and its candidates.
McCain and his advisers are believed to be grappling with how to deploy Mr. Bush, who remains unpopular despite his fundraising prowess, on the campaign trail. The Associated Press points out that the fundraisers will mark the first time Bush and McCain have been together since March 5th, when the President endorsed the presumptive GOP nominee at the White House.
*UPDATE: The White House is now putting out word that McCain will only attend the Phoenix fundraiser.
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