Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist on Tuesday headlined a breakfast fundraiser for state Senate President Tim Bee (R), who is challenging freshman Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in the 8th district.

Bee needs the help.

Giffords closed the first-quarter fundraising period with a hefty $1.7 million in cash on hand. Bee reported nearly $525,000 in the bank, although he did not officially launch his campaign until the beginning of this year.

Bee’s campaign declined to reveal much about the fundraiser with Norquist, other than to note that it was a “widely attended event.”

The southern Arizona 8th district has moderate Republican leanings and was held by ex-Rep. Jim Kolbe (R) for nearly two decades before Giffords won it in 2006.

Giffords, who campaigned as a moderate Democrat in 2006, joined with three conservative Republican Members on Tuesday to support a bill that would work to step up oversight of employers and cut down on the hiring of illegal immigrants.

— David M. Drucker