Texas Gov. George W. Bush's standing as the early front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000 was worth $500,000 Wednesday to Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Taft.
Two Taft fund-raising events in Cincinnati, both featuring the 50-year-old son of former President George Bush, generated that much in campaign contributions.
But while the point of the Bush visit to Cincinnati was to aid the Taft campaign, it also helped the Texas governor heighten his visibility among Republican donors in Ohio, which could end up being a crucial state in the GOP presidential primary process. "There's a lot of speculation about what I may or may not do in 2000, no matter where I go," Mr. Bush said at a press conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown. "But I'm running for re-election as governor this year, and I'm not going to decide anything until I've accomplished that."
Some national polls have shown that Mr. Bush is leading a large field of potential GOP presidential contenders.
Wednesday, he was helping Mr. Taft, appearing at a $150-a-ticket fund-raising reception at the Hyatt Regency.
Later, he was the featured attraction at a $1,000-per-ticket fund-raiser at the home of Cincinnati businessman Mercer Reynolds, who, with Cincinnati businessman Bill DeWitt Jr., was Mr. Bush's business partner in a group that once owned the Texas Rangers baseball team.
