Enquirer Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - President Bush's re-election campaign designates its biggest fund-raisers Pioneers or Rangers.

Nationwide, 268 Pioneers have raised $100,000 each through friends' and associates' donations of $2,000 or less. Another 187 Rangers have raised $200,000 each. The campaign tracks each donation and is meticulous about assigning credit.

Greater Cincinnati has an unusually large number of Pioneers and Rangers: 14 so far. They have raised at least $2 million for Bush-Cheney '04, the president's re-election fund.

The list does not include Mercer Reynolds of Indian Hill, Bush's fund-raising chairman. The list includes:

Name: Ron Beshear, Montgomery.

Position: Managing partner with the local office of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, an insurance and investment group in Norwood.

Status: Pioneer.

About: The state GOP picked Beshear to be a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. Beshear tapped Cincinnati's Christian community, he said, and is now helping the Bush campaign reach out to Christians around the country.

Name: William O. Brisben, Mount Adams.

Position: Developer, founder of the Brisben Cos.

Status: Ranger.

About: Bush named Brisben, a Pioneer in Bush's 2000 campaign, to be his representative on UNICEF's board.

Name: William Butler, Lakeside Park.

Position: Developer, president of Corporex Cos., Covington.

Status: Pioneer.

About: Butler supports bringing a casino to Northern Kentucky. Corporex pioneered golfless four-season country clubs. "President Bush has been willing to make tough decisions and to act decisively with respect to the economy and threats against our country," Butler said. "These are difficult times. Terrorism is a real threat and we need strength and continuity in the office of the president."

Name: Robert Castellini, Indian Hill.

Position: President, Castellini Co. fruit and vegetable wholesalers.

Status: Pioneer.

About: Along with Bill DeWitt and Reynolds, Castellini is one of the 17 owners of the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned more than $35 million when he sold his riverfront land for Paul Brown Stadium.

Name: Douglass Corn, Bridgetown.

Position: Financial representative, Northwestern Mutual.

Status: Pioneer.

About: Corn works with Beshear and grew up with John Bridgeland, who advised Bush on domestic policy before becoming the first head of the USA Freedom Corps. His top issue is terrorism. "I think President Bush is committed to stamping it out. I do not think (John) Kerry would be as motivated to stamping it out as Bush would be."

Name: Bill DeWitt, Indian Hill.

Position: Investor, partner with chief Bush fund-raiser Mercer Reynolds.

Status: Ranger.

About: DeWitt is a longtime friend of Bush from their days as partners in the Texas oil business and then the Texas Rangers. DeWitt has stayed at the White House and Bush appointed him to a foreign intelligence advisory board.

Name: Richard Farmer, Indian Hill.

Position: Founder, Mason-based uniform supplier Cintas.

Status: Ranger.

About: Farmer, whom Forbes magazine lists as the wealthiest man in Cincinnati, is a longtime GOP donor. He was a Pioneer in Bush's first campaign. Cintas is engaged in a bitter unionization battle.

Name: Gary Heiman, Amberley Village.

Position: President, Standard Textile Co. in Reading.

Status: Pioneer.

About: Heiman lived in Israel for 17 years and is active in pushing for a peaceful settlement of the Middle East crisis.

Name: Sandra Heimann

Position: Vice president at Carl Lindner's American Financial Group.

Status: Pioneer.

About: Heimann, a close confidant of Lindner, was named a member of the University of Cincinnati's Board of Trustees last year.

Name: John C. Kern Jr., Indian Hill.

Position: Managing director, Reynolds DeWitt & Co.

Status: Ranger.

About: At 39, Kern also qualifies as a Bush campaign "maverick," the designation for people younger than 40 who have raised more than $50,000. The Chicago native moved to Cincinnati in 1997. "I think (Bush) is doing a great job for the country. I think in these trying times, he's provided strong leadership."

Name: Carl Lindner Jr., 84, Indian Hill.

Position: Owner, Cincinnati Reds; chairman, American Financial Group

Status: Ranger.

About: A January report from the Center for Responsive Politics found that Lindner was the most personally generous of Bush's fund-raisers, giving $2.6 million to other federal candidates, parties and committees since 1999. Farmer ranked third.

Name: Carl Lindner III, Indian Hill.

Position: Co-president, American Financial Group.

Status: Ranger.

About: He played host at his Indian Hill home to the Sept. 30 fund-raiser featuring Bush. It raised more than $1 million.

Name: Michael Oestreicher, Hyde Park.

Position: Partner, Thompson Hine law firm.

Status: Pioneer.

About: Oestreicher specializes in international business law. He is a longtime friend and fund-raiser for GOP Rep. Rob Portman of Terrace Park. During the Sept. 30 fund-raiser Ostreicher found himself in Lindner's foyer with Bush and about 25 other major fund-raisers. "He spoke about the need to be compassionate toward people who have so much less than we do," Ostreicher recalled. "I stood there thinking to myself, 'He's in a room with 25 other people who are about as high-level supporters as you're going to get. He's talking about compassion toward people who are less fortunate?' He's not bucking for votes there. Why does a guy say that unless he really means it?"

Name: Rob Portman, Terrace Park.

Position: Congressman representing Ohio's 2nd District, including eastern Hamilton County, southern Warren County and Clermont County.

Status: Pioneer.

About: A close confidant of Bush, Portman chairs the House Republican leadership and serves as the White House's liaison to the House GOP.

Others

Ohio has 27 Pioneers and Rangers, Indiana has eight and Kentucky has six. Other notable Pioneers and Rangers in the Tristate:

Name: Robert Bennett, Columbus.

Position: Chairman, Ohio Republican Party.

Status: Ranger.

Name: Larry Householder, Glenford.

Position: Ohio House speaker.

Status: Pioneer.

Name: Cathy Bailey, Louisville.

Position: A member of the Republican National Committee, Bailey is a longtime Louisville philanthropist.

Status: Ranger.

Name: Stephen Goldsmith, Indianapolis.

Position: Former mayor of Indianapolis and former domestic policy adviser to Bush.

Status: Ranger.