Jeb Bush to speak at Cassidy fundraiser

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) will headline a fundraising event in Washington next month that will benefit Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) ahead of his runoff election against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

A source with knowledge of the event confirmed the Bush fundraiser for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Bush will speak at the NRSC headquarters for the Dec. 1 event, with some proceeds going to Cassidy.

{mosads}On Nov. 4, in the first round of Louisiana’s Senate election, Landrieu took 43 percent in a field where Republicans split the vote.

Cassidy came in at 42 percent, and Tea Partyer Rob Maness won 14 percent. Louisiana’s election rules require a runoff, to be held on Dec. 6, between the top two vote-getters if no candidate tops 50 percent of the vote.

An internal Cassidy poll shows him ahead of Landrieu by 16 percentage points. While the actual margin is likely less than that, Landrieu is getting hammered in campaign ads from Cassidy and from outside groups seeking to finish her off, and she’s badly outgunned on the air because the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pulled $2.1 million in ad buys it had reserved for the race.

Landrieu is now fighting for reelection in Washington by trying to cobble together a filibuster-proof majority, 60 votes, to approve a bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline.

While it might be too late to save her, passage of the bill on Tuesday could remind voters of her clout on the key Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and convince voters that she’s committed to reaching across the aisle on an initiative that President Obama has been skeptical of.

The Dec. 1 fundraiser will also benefit other Republican groups, and will feature Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, incoming NRSC chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.).