Vice President Cheney touched down in Minnesota Monday to fundraise for Gopher State Republicans. Cheney headlined a Monday fundraiser in Wayzata for the Minnesota Victory Fund, according to the state party, which raises money to aid federal candidates.

Wayzata is in the 3rd Congressional district — one of the most competitive in the country since Rep. Jim Ramstad (R) announced he is retiring this year. The wealthy suburbs have been trending blue recently, giving Democrats their best pickup opportunity in the state.

State Rep. Erik Paulsen, the GOP’s endorsed candidate for that race, attended the Cheney event.

“Paulsen did stop by the event,” campaign spokeswoman Anne Mason confirmed. “He took it as an opportunity to thank some of the people” who have been helpful to his campaign.

Campaigning with White House officials can be risky at times, given President Bush’s low approval ratings in the state. SurveyUSA polling data showed the president with a 32 percent approval rating in Minnesota last month.

Minnesota GOP spokeswoman Gina Countryman declined to name who else attended, but local reports have confirmed that Sen. Norm Coleman (R) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) did not.

Paulsen likely will face the Democrats’ endorsed candidate, Iraq War veteran Ashwin Madia, in November.

— Shira Toeplitz