June 6 (Bloomberg) -- Republican congressional candidates throughout the U.S. love President George W. Bush's fund-raising prowess. They just don't want to be seen in public with him.

Bush, whose approval ratings have fallen to record lows, has already raised $125 million for the 2006 elections, according to the Republican National Committee. And his fundraising is ahead of the pace of 2002, when his ratings topped 50 percent.

At the same time, some lawmakers have failed to show up by his side as he raises money in states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Maryland. Polls show that voters are unhappy with Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, energy prices and budget issues, and Democrats are looking to link Republican candidates to his record.

``The president and the vice president are terrific fundraisers, and money is really important in these races,'' said Stuart Rothenberg, who publishes a nonpartisan Washington political report. ``On the other hand, candidates don't want to be defined solely or primarily by the administration.''

When Bush headlined a May 24 fundraiser in Philadelphia to benefit members of Pennsylvania's Republican congressional delegation, only two of the 13 incumbents up this year -- Representatives Jim Gerlach and Michael Fitzpatrick, the event's main beneficiaries -- attended.

Among those absent was Senator Rick Santorum, who trails Democratic challenger Robert Casey by 13 percentage points in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. The poll, taken May 2-8, also showed Bush's approval rating at 30 percent in the state, compared with 73 percent four years ago.

Fair Question

``There was a time when on any trip by the president to Pennsylvania, you'd find Rick Santorum fairly close by,'' said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown. ``Any time the president is in the state for a big fund-raising event and Rick Santorum isn't there, it's fair to question why.''

Gerlach and Fitzpatrick, the two who attended, faced immediate criticism afterward from Democratic challengers.

``He has put the interests of George Bush and Tom DeLay ahead of the families that live in this community,'' Lois Murphy, Gerlach's Democratic opponent, said in a statement. DeLay, the former Republican House majority leader, is resigning from Congress as he faces a money-laundering trial in Texas.

The Rothenberg Political Report last month increased its estimate of likely Democratic victories in the House to as many as 12 seats, with a possibility of even more gains, from as many as 10. Democrats need a net gain of 15 to take control of the chamber.

$600,000 Raised

Bush raised about $600,000 at the event. Two-thirds of the money is to go to Gerlach, 51, and Fitzpatrick, 42, and a third will benefit other members of the Republican delegation. Representative Curt Weldon, 58, who's among the 42 Republican House members considered ``in play'' by the Rothenberg Report, was among those who didn't attend.

Weldon's spokesman, John Tomaszewski, said the lawmaker had votes that kept him in Washington, wasn't invited and hasn't requested any of the money. The House had several votes that evening on amendments and final passage of the 2007 Energy and Water Development appropriations measure.

Santorum also didn't attend a Veterans Day speech last November that Bush gave near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Santorum, 48, had a previous commitment to speak to a couple of hundred veterans, said Virginia Davis, his campaign spokeswoman. She said the senator has attended several public events with Bush.

Running on Record

``Senator Santorum is independent and is running for re- election on his record,'' Davis said, adding that the lawmaker appreciates the fund-raising support he gets from Bush and others for a campaign that may cost more than $25 million.

While Bush held a private $1,000-per-person fund-raising dinner for Santorum on March 24, the two held no public events together.

The following month, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani came to Pennsylvania to campaign for Santorum at a public event highlighting national security. Giuliani has supported gay rights and legal abortion, and some of his views contrast with those of Santorum, who opposes same-sex marriage and abortion.

Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican and potential 2008 presidential candidate, also appeared at a fundraiser for Santorum. Fifty-four percent of voters said in a December Zogby International poll that they were more likely to vote for a congressional candidate endorsed by McCain, compared with 29 percent who said the same for a candidate backed by Bush.

``I'm sure there are some places where he's not as popular as he used to be,'' McCain said of Bush. ``I mean, you look at his numbers. But I certainly see a strong desire on the part of many of my colleagues to have him come and appear with him.''

Maryland, Virginia

Bush raised more than $1 million for the Maryland Republican Party on May 31. Republican Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, who's running for Senate in the heavily Democratic state, didn't attend. He went to a fundraiser in Nevada with Republican Senator John Ensign. Steele's campaign won't directly receive any of the money from the Bush event, said his spokesman, Doug Heye.

Senator Lincoln Chafee, among the most vulnerable Republicans running for re-election, has been helped on the fund-raising circuit by First Lady Laura Bush, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. The Rhode Island lawmaker says he has no plans to appear with the president to raise money.

`I'm Looking Elsewhere'

``The president's poll numbers aren't good right now,'' Chafee, 53, said. And Rhode Island, which backed Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 is ``unfriendly territory'' for Bush. ``I'm looking elsewhere,'' Chafee said.

House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, says lawmakers in his party aren't avoiding the president. He defended Representative Thelma Drake's decision to skip a fundraiser that Bush did for the congresswoman in Virginia Beach last month, saying she stayed in Washington to vote for an appropriations measure that funds veterans' health care. Her district has a large military contingent.

``She was right here doing what she should be doing,'' Boehner said. ``The president's poll numbers are down for a lot of reasons, but I'm proud of the president. It's time for Republicans to stand up and defend the president.''

Senator Mike DeWine, a vulnerable Ohio Republican, didn't attend a speech Bush gave in his home state on the Iraq war in March and missed a health-care speech by the president in February. He did attend a private fundraiser in Ohio with Bush in February. Another is planned, DeWine said.

DeWine, 59, said he's not avoiding the president, saying he sat with Bush at the home opener for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Still, he said he planned to stress his independence in the election.

``I've run for 30 years, and I've always run on my own,'' DeWine said. ``Some years the political climate is better than other years. Some years you're helped by the climate, and some years the climate is not as good. That's life.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Dodge in Washington at Cdodge1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 6, 2006 00:02 EDT