By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FLORENCE - Boone County Sheriff Mike Helmig has seen plenty of presidents and vice presidents land at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron.

He just isn't used to seeing them stick around.

That will change Friday when Vice President Dick Cheney comes to Northern Kentucky and stays in Boone County to raise money for Sen. Jim Bunning's re-election campaign.

"I've been here 23, 24 years, and I don't know the last time we had the vice president in Northern Kentucky," said Helmig, a Republican whose department will help provide security for the visit. "They always land here at the airport, but then they head over to Cincinnati or somewhere else in Ohio.

"It will be great that Vice President Cheney is staying right here in Boone County and giving Northern Kentucky a lot of attention," Helmig said.

The fund-raiser will be held at the Commonwealth Hilton Hotel in Florence, but the time has not been released. Neither Bunning's campaign nor Cheney's White House press office will divulge details until later in the week.

However, several Northern Kentucky Republicans have received invitations.

"It's going to excite people throughout the party and throughout the county to have the vice president here in Boone County," said county Jailer Ed Prindle, a Florence Republican. "The vice president's visit certainly shows how important Jim Bunning is to the entire party. This is a very conservative area and this visit is a sign the vice president recognizes that."

Kentucky pride

Some Northern Kentucky Republicans felt slighted last year when Cheney came to the area to help GOP gubernatorial candidate Ernie Fletcher - elected in November - to raise money. But the event was held in downtown Cincinnati and some GOP activists said more Northern Kentuckians would have attended had it been in Kentucky.

Party leaders, contributors and rank-and-file volunteers are excited about the Bunning event, said Campbell County GOP Chairwoman Barb Haas of Fort Thomas.

"We're getting plenty of people who want to volunteer so they can be a part of it," said Haas, who is coordinating the event with Campbell County GOP activist Jenny Schlosser and Boone County Commissioner Cathy Flaig.

"Who wouldn't be excited?" Haas said. "We had the President (Bush) in Louisville last week and now we're getting a visit from the vice president. This kind of attention is good for the state of Kentucky and good for Sen. Bunning."

Bunning, who is seeking a second term, has raised more than $4 million for his campaign. It is not clear how much he expects to raise at the Cheney event.

Democrats say they expect Bunning to tap nationally known political figures to pad his campaign war chest.

"This doesn't come as a surprise to us and it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone else either," said state Sen. Dan Mongiardo, a Democrat running for Bunning's seat.

Democrat confident

"Jim Bunning's going to need all the money he can get to beat us," said Mongiardo, who at year's end had raised just about $300,000.

Bunning is challenged in the May GOP primary by former state Sen. Barry Metcalf, a Richmond Republican who Bunning beat in 1998 by nearly 100,000 votes out of about 206,000 cast.

"This event shows that the vice president is on Sen. Bunning's side in this primary," said Boone County GOP Chairman Ed Moore.

Details pending

The fund-raising event will be at the Commonwealth Hilton Hotel in Florence, but the time has not been released and details are not being divulged. However, several Northern Kentucky Republicans have received invitations.

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E-mail pcrowley@enquier.com