Cong. 13th: Cheney (R) Fundraising for Foltin (R) in Cleveland Today

Lorain Mayor Craig Foltin (R), who likes to pretend that he's not tied in with the dismally unpopular Bush administration, will see that fantasy squashed today when Vice President Dick Cheney speaks at a fund-raising luncheon for Foltin at Cleveland's Renaissance Hotel, as reported in the Akron Beacon Journal here. Opponent Betty Sutton (D-Barberton) will waste no opportunity to remind 13th Congressional District voters of the connection. In fact, while in Washington on Friday to attend events organized by Emily's List, Sutton did just that, as noted on the Cleveland Plain Dealer "blog" Openers:

Sutton said the fact that Vice President Dick Cheney is holding a fundraiser next Monday for her GOP opponent, Lorain Mayor Craig Foltin, shows Foltin is aligned with the special interests that Cheney represents, like the oil companies Cheney assembled behind closed doors to craft the nation's energy policy.

"It is clear to me that the people of the 13th District are not interested in having business continue in the way that Dick Cheney has been conducting it," Sutton said. "They are looking for people who will stand up to the special interests as opposed to people who will stand up for the special interests."

UPDATE: Sutton is all over this one. Shortly after Cheney left the Renaissance Hotel, she was on the scene to score points: "The events of today make it clear that there's a stark contrast between the candidates in this race. We don't need another yes-man for George Bush and Dick Cheney in Washington." You go, Betty!