Cheney delivered a luncheon address at a Seattle hotel to about 200 Reichert supporters, who paid at least $300 for lunch plus another $2,000 if they wanted a photo with the vice president. Mike Shields, Reichert's chief of staff, estimated that with above-minimum contributions, the event would raise more than $100,000 for Reichert - the kind of numbers the congressman hopes will intimidate potential opponents.

"This race is going to be well-funded," Shields said. "We're going to have support from the White House on down."

Reichert, the former King County sheriff who helped track down the Green River serial killer, beat radio talk show host Dave Ross to win the 8th Congressional District seat in an expensive race last fall. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted him for defeat in next year's election, arguing that Reichert - like the Bush administration - is too conservative for the suburban district east of Seattle.

The group is already running radio advertisements criticizing Reichert and 11 other Republicans it considers vulnerable. In particular, the Democrats have criticized Reichert's votes against expanding federal support of embryonic stem cell research and against extending military health insurance to all members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families, not just those called up for active duty.

"Dave Reichert is proving once again that he is in the pocket of the national Republican party in the worst way," said Sarah Feinberg, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Whether it's an amendment for stem cell research or health care for the National Guard and Reserves, (Reichert) has lined up in lockstep with the national Republican party, and that's to the detriment of his district."

Reichert, a former Air Force National Guard member, voted against sending the defense budget bill back to committee for a fight over the insurance provision. Sending the bill back could have stalled the entire defense budget, he said.

Reichert was one of five Republicans to oppose the White House's efforts to have a feeding tube reinserted into severely brain-damaged Florida woman Terri Schiavo, who later died.

Cheney told the lunch crowd that of all the representatives he has known during a career in Washington, D.C., "Dave Reichert is one of the most capable and impressive I've ever come across." He lauded what he described as Reichert's stewardship of the economy and the environment, as well as his willingness to work with Democrats.

He went on to deliver an address touting President Bush's agenda, including further tax cuts, Social Security changes and fighting terrorism.

State Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, and former secretary of state candidate Laura Ruderman are among the Democrats who have considered challenging Reichert next year. The 8th District has never sent a Democrat to Congress, but has backed Democrats Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Gary Locke in recent elections.