NEW YORK (Talon News) -- President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, along with First Lady Laura Bush, closed out the second quarter of 2003 campaign fundraising this week by raising $34 million toward the Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection effort.

"We're laying the groundwork for what is going to be a victory in November of 2004," Bush told a jubilant Miami crowd on June 30. The Miami speech ended a six-week campaign blitz that took him to several cities across the country, including the traditionally liberal bastions of New York City and San Francisco.

The message Bush carried to each city he visited was similar in that he reiterated the successes of his presidency in fighting the War on Terror, passing the tax cuts he has pushed to reinvigorate the economy, and enacting tangible education reform. He also addressed the issue of Medicare reform, which is working its way through Congress at this time.

"We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors, by strengthening and modernizing Medicare," Bush said in Tampa, FL, just six hours after his appearance at the Miami Airport Hilton. "For the first time since the creation of Medicare, the House and Senate have passed reforms to increase choice to our seniors and to provide coverage for prescription drugs."

Bush raised over $3 million during his two Florida stops, with his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, at his side.

"He and I share the same political consultant -- our mother," Bush joked with the Florida crowds, making a reference to former First Lady Barbara Bush. "She doesn't charge much for her advice, but she gives plenty of it, I can assure you."

Florida, like several of Bush's campaign appearances, figures big in the Republican 2004 election strategy. Other high profile visits like New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles demonstrate the aggressive nature of the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign.

Bush set a one-day fundraising record in New York City on June 23, gathering close to $5 million dollars. With the Republican National Convention coming to New York City in the summer of 2004, the New York State GOP and the RNC are working to put the state in the Republican column for the first time since Ronald Reagan won it in 1984.

While Bush was able to win the 2000 election without victories in either California or New York, an unusual feat considering the combined 87 electoral votes the two states offered, Republican strategists are working vigorously to change that this time around.

"I know that President Bush is going to win our state next year," New York Republican State Committee Chairman Alexander "Sandy" Treadwell said earlier this year.

Bush's recent appearances in San Francisco and Los Angeles netted his campaign $1.6 million and $3 million, respectively.

In a separate stop in Akron, Ohio, Vice President Cheney made further note of the Bush Administration's successes thus far.

"As we look ahead to the election of 2004, we already have a record of accomplishment to show for our efforts," Cheney said. "The American people are confident of a better future, a stronger economy, and greater security against the dangers of a new era, because of the character and the leadership qualities of President Bush."

By comparison, presidential aspirant Howard Dean was the big fundraiser for the Democrats during the second quarter, raising $7 million. John Edwards and John Kerry both fell short of second quarter expectations, although they still lead the overall money pack among Democrat contenders.

Final campaign totals for the second quarter are expected to be released in mid-July.