Bush helps Chocola with House campaign

SOUTH BEND -- President Bush arrived in Indiana Thursday for his second visit in eight weeks to stump for congressional candidate Chris Chocola as part of a final-week campaign push for Republican candidates.\nUnlike his last visit to South Bend, though, when Bush raised $650,000 for the state Republican Party, the only purpose of Thursday's visit is a rally for Chocola, who polls say is locked in a tight race with Democrat Jill Long Thompson for the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Tim Roemer.\nAbout 5,000 people were expected to attend the rally at a hangar at South Bend Regional Airport.\nBush started his day Thursday with a campaign rally in South Dakota. After stopping in Indiana, Bush was then scheduled to travel to West Virginia.\nBush arrives in South Bend on a day when a new poll was released showing that the race in northern Indiana's 2nd District remained close heading into the final week of campaigning.\nLong Thompson said Thursday she believed Bush's visit was actually a good sign for her campaign.\n"In spite all the money (Chocola) has spent, in spite of all the people he's brought in to campaign for him, we are in a dead heat," Long Thompson said. "Because I am right on the issues."\nThe poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday by Research 2000 of Rockville, Md., for the South Bend Tribune and television station WSBT, showed that 49 percent favored Chocola, with 46 percent favoring Long Thompson and five percent undecided.\nThe difference between Chocola and Long Thompson was within the poll's margin of error of five percentage points.\nThree previous polls by the same firm this fall also had support for both candidates within the margin of error.\nLong Thompson planned 24 hours of campaigning starting Thursday night at a Halloween party and finishing with a speech to union members Friday night. In between, she planned to shake hands at a gate plant at midnight, milk cows at a farm at 3 a.m. and greet consumers at stores.\nShe said the key to the election is getting out the vote.\n"I feel very good about this race and I feel very optimistic we will have a victory on Tuesday," she said.\nBoth parties consider the race key as they struggle for control of the closely divided U.S. House and the finances reflect that, as total political contributions are well over $2 million.\nChocola, 40, lost a close race to Roemer in 2000. He is now chairman of CTB International Corp., a producer of equipment for poultry, hog and grain industries.\nLong Thompson, 50, served three terms in the House from a neighboring northeastern Indiana district and was an undersecretary of agriculture in the Clinton administration.\nVice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Dennis Hastert also have made campaign stops for Chocola this year.