Dick Cheney to raise money for Romney

by Josh Lederman - 05/21/12 4:06 PM ET

Former Vice President Cheney will raise money in July for Mitt Romney, a campaign aide said.

Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, will host a fundraiser for Romney at their Jackson Hole, Wyo. home on July 12.

Cheney has stayed mostly out of the political spotlight since leaving office in 2009, but he endorsed Romney in April, three weeks after undergoing a heart transplant.

{mosads}The association with Cheney could help Romney shore up financial support from conservatives concerned about foreign policy and dubious about Romney, particularly as a pair of major international summits and the recent anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death give President Obama a showcase to present himself as a strong leader on the world stage.

Romney has mostly avoided foreign policy during the 2012 race, hoping to keep the attention on the economy, but he has taken a hawkish stance when he has weighed in. He has said that Iran will obtain nuclear weapons if Obama is reelected and accused the president repeatedly of apologizing to other nations.

But Cheney’s efforts on behalf of Romney could also play into the hands of Democrats, who are eager to tie Romney to President George W. Bush and his legacy. The former president has endorsed Romney but otherwise stayed out of the race so far, and he has given no indication he plans to have a presence during the race.

The fundraiser will have a tiered structure that allows big-dollar donors to dine with Cheney and the former Massachusetts governor for an additional cost, The Wall Street Journal reported. Members of Romney’s finance team have sent out emails to donors asking them to save the date.

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Romney’s campaign and the Republican National Committee raised a total of $40.1 million in April, almost a fourfold increase over what Romney raised the month before, when the primary was still winding down.

As the presumptive GOP nominee, Romney is merging his operations with the national party, which also has a $21 million trust filled up and ready for Romney to use for his campaign efforts.

Obama and the Democratic National Committee raised $43 million in April, and though Obama’s campaign is burning through cash quickly, Democrats still have a 2-to-1 cash advantage over Republicans.

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