John McCain to visit Minnesota this week

John McCain plans to rake in some big bucks next week on his first visit to Minnesota as the Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee.

The Arizona senator will hold a fundraiser Thursday at the Hilton hotel in downtown Minneapolis that carries a top ticket price of $50,000.

Individuals or couples who contribute that amount will get to attend a private reception with McCain, have a photo taken with him and attend a dinner that will be the event's centerpiece.

Other tickets are available for $20,000, $2,300 and $1,000, with access to the candidate diminishing with the dollar amount.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be shared by McCain's campaign and "Minnesota Victory '08," an umbrella effort aimed at helping other Republican candidates on the ballot, said Ben Golnik, McCain's regional coordinator.

McCain's visit will also include a public campaign event before the fundraiser, but details haven't yet been nailed down, Golnik said.

McCain's only other campaign visit occurred a year ago, when he came to a fundraiser at a time when his campaign was sputtering.

The invitation to Thursday's fundraiser makes it clear that McCain has attracted a united front from the state party's leadership -- including Republicans who originally backed one of his rivals.

One notable name on the list of event chairs is that of Tim Penny, the former Democratic congressman who ran for governor under the Independence Party's banner. Penny and McCain were in the same House freshman class in 1983 and worked together in the late 1980s and early 1990s

Leading the list is Gov. Tim Pawlenty, one of McCain's national campaign co-chairs -- and widely believed to be near the top of McCain's short list of potential vice-presidential picks.