PRESIDENT BUSH will this week begin a series of appearances in support of Republican candidates facing tough contests in the mid-term elections in November, suggesting that, despite his political troubles, he remains his party’s most prolific fundraiser.

However, in a change of strategy from the 2002 congressional elections, when Mr Bush gambled his own popularity to campaign publicly for candidates, he will spend the next two months attending mostly private fundraising events.

It is a clear sign of how nervous some Republican candidates are of being photographed with Mr Bush in light of increasing opposition to the Iraq war and the president’s falling approval, which have dropped well below 40 per cent. At the same time, few would wish to shun his still unmatched ability to raise funds.

After he leaves New Orleans tomorrow, having marked the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina — one of the most politically disastrous episodes of his second term — Mr Bush will attend a private fundraising lunch in Arkansas for Asa Hutchinson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, who is struggling against his Democrat opponent.

Like dozens of similar recent events in recent months the lunch will be closed to the media, enabling the candidate to keep a distance from Mr Bush while benefiting from his ability to raise thousands of dollars.

“I can remember in recent years when local television stations would devote most of their coverage to a visit by the President,” Charles Cook, a non-partisan political analyst, told The Times. “Now, he shoots in, does a fundraiser in a private home, and shoots right back out. There is no downside for the candidate, and yet he is $500,000 better off.”

Mr Bush privately concedes that some candidates are reluctant to be seen on stage with him, but he knows that his ability to raise cash is still critical to Republican efforts to retain control of Congress. This year he has raised more than $161 million (£85 million) from more than 50 events for candidates.

Michael Steele, a Republican Senate candidate in Maryland, recently failed to attend a speech by Mr Bush on Iraq in his state, but appeared later at a private fundraiser that netted his campaign $500,000.

David Frum, a former speechwriter for Mr Bush, said: “The President does not need to be on television all the time, or on stage with the candidate, to be an asset to the party.”

The greatest threat to Republicans in November remains the Iraq war. Mr Bush and Karl Rove, his chief political strategist, have made clear that their strategy will be to link Iraq to the War on Terror, the only issue in which Mr Bush still enjoys an advantage.

“Some Democrats say we should win the war on terrorism, but yet those same Democrats turn around and say we should cut and run in Iraq,” said Mr Rove.

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