In his third endorsement event since Sept. 11, President Bush headlined the largest fundraising day in Wisconsin’s history yesterday. The president spent the day in Milwaukee and formally endorsed Gov. Scott McCallum in his re-election run.

In his speech at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Bush addressed health care issues.

Bush outlined his comprehensive health care agenda for improving health security, but many speculate the main reason for his visit was to formally endorse McCallum for governor.

McCallum is only the third candidate to be formally endorsed by the president since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Republicans sought the endorsement to provide a boost for McCallum’s popularity, with the president currently garnering an over 80 percent approval rating. It will also help his pocketbook, as Monday’s fundraising dinner held an over $1 million price-tag.

“The president is spreading himself around the country,” said Sen. Bob Coles, R-Green Bay. “This is the kind of thing that will really help the governor. I think it does show the connection with former Gov. Tommy Thompson.”

Others say Bush had the fact he lost Wisconsin, a highly contested swing state, in the last presidential election by 6,000 votes in mind. This is Bush’s fourth trip to Wisconsin.

Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said the visit was more about fundraising than Bush promoting his health care plan.

“His primary reason for [visiting Wisconsin is] fundraising,” Black said. “And then they probably figure as long as he’s here, he might as well talk health care.”

Many lawmakers say the gubernatorial race is expected to be close and the extra money from fundraising will help McCallum as he tries to distance himself from the competition. The McCallum campaign has reportedly raised $2.4 million as of Dec. 31, 2001.

As Democrats spend their money in a fight for their party’s nomination, as of now, McCallum has no Republican primary to worry about and will have more funds available for advertising in the fall.

“Unfortunately, money is a significant factor,” Black said. “It is unfortunate that rather than looking to a race based on issues, the governor has decided to focus on the money.”

Jay Heck, Executive Director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a non-partisan citizen’s lobbying group, said though McCallum leads his competitors in funding, he is far behind the amount former Gov. Tommy Thompson typically spent.

“The race is wide open,” Heck said. “McCallum will try to raise more money. The most-ever raised was $7 million by Tommy Thompson, and the governor still has nine months left.”

Cole said the Democrats would close the gap.

“Who knows (if there is an advantage),” he said. “At some point the Democrats will choose one candidate and more money will be raised.”

According to Debbie Monterrey-Millet, press secretary for the governor, one goal of the president’s visit was to push for federal biotech research in Wisconsin.

“We’re very honored to have the president visit,” Monterrey-Millet said. “Health care is very important to everyone. We were very eager to show the great work done at the Medical College.”

In his speech, Bush outlined his comprehensive health care agenda for improving health security for Americans in order to combat the rising cost of living. Bush also said health plan bureaucrats are threatening to keep patients from getting state-of-the-art care.

The president said he wants to help all Americans receive quality, affordable health care coverage. He also expressed a desire to develop new treatments to keep patients healthy and help prevent complications from diseases.

“Instead of paying a large premium every month for services you may not use, I believe we ought to have an account that allows a person to pay a much smaller premium for major medical coverage and then put the savings into a health account, tax-free,” Bush said. “The money is your money. It’s your money in the health account, not the government’s money. And you can use it for whatever health-care need that arises.”

The President will back up this agenda with more than $300 billion in proposed funding.