Facing what likely will be a tough re-election contest next year, Rep. Sam Graves (R) is enlisting all the help he can get trying to build on his narrow fundraising advantage.

Graves, who is being challenged by popular former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes (D), hosted a fundraiser Monday featuring Vice President Cheney, who still appears to be a popular draw among the GOP’s conservative base, despite the White House’s sagging popularity.

Democrats used the Cheney fundraiser to tar Graves as too close to Republican leaders.

“Only if you’re as loyal to the Bush administration and as out of touch as Sam Graves, would having Dick Cheney in town to jump-start your sputtering campaign be a plus,” said Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Graves and Cheney are too much alike — both symbols of the past and taking Missouri and the country in the wrong direction.”

Barnes made a big splash earlier this summer, when she raised more than $300,000 during her first fundraising cycle.

— Matthew Murray