Bush Hits Road to Boost Fortunes of 2 Lawmakers

President Bush tried to shore up support for two freshman Republican lawmakers on Friday, bringing to Virginia and Kentucky his ability to raise campaign funds and the pageantry of a White House motorcade that prompted some voters to gather along the highways and schoolchildren to wave American flags.

Despite his own low poll numbers, Bush raised nearly $1 million combined at fundraisers for Rep. Thelma Drake in Norfolk, Va., and for Rep. Geoff Davis in Florence, Ky.

Drake did not attend the fundraiser for her campaign. An aide said Drake had to stay in Washington to support a military appropriations bill that was on the House floor. Drake’s district is home to several military bases and includes the second-highest number of military retirees in the country, her office said. Drake was not trying to avoid the president, the aide said.

Drake and Davis are in reelection battles that are thought to be competitive in a year when Democrats are hopeful they can gain 15 seats to control the House.

Democrats are running radio ads in Drake’s and Davis’ districts and three others, aimed at Christian voters who might normally vote Republican. The ads attack the Bush administration not for the war in Iraq or for the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program, but for what they cast as runaway federal spending.

Republicans brushed aside the importance of the ads.

“It’s going to take a lot more than a radio buy for Democrats to bridge the gap with values voters,” said Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.

During his trip Friday, Bush also gave a speech on globalization and economic competitiveness to an audience at Northern Kentucky University here. “We don’t need to fear the future, because we can shape it,” Bush said in a speech that touched on the war in Iraq and the dangers of international isolationism.

At one point, talking about the coming wave of baby boomer retirements, Bush forecast his own departure from the White House, saying, “Just so happens I turn 62 in 2008, which is a convenient age.” The crowd chuckled.

Mostly, Bush talked about the need for the United States to compete in the global marketplace. He said the United States should not fear the economic power of China and India but welcome the competition. He said that the U.S. economy was “rocking along” but that “if we wall ourselves off” from the global market, “it will be harder” for the American economy to prosper.

Finally, without mentioning high gas prices or rising war casualties, Bush said:

“I understand that there’s some uncertainty and worries because of circumstances today, but ... I’ve got no doubt in my mind that the world is headed toward peace and that this country is going to remain the economic leader of the world. We just can’t lose our confidence.”

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Times staff writer Joel Havemann contributed to this report.