Elaine Chao

TUCSON -- U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao came to Tucson today to help drum up support for state Senate President Tim Bee (R-Tucson) - help he needs in his quest to unseat Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-8), the well-funded freshman Democrat.

Chao spoke before a roundtable of business leaders about the strength of the U.S. economy, and the need to contribute to Bee's campaign. According to Chao, media bias makes it imperative that Bee "bypass" news outlets and appeal directly to voters.

U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is the latest GOP star to lend her support to State Senate President Tim Bee's congressional run. The labor secretary and wife of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will appear tomorrow with Bee at a breakfast fundraiser in Phoenix.

Chao joins a growing list of name brand Republicans to get behind Bee in his fight to unseat freshman U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-8). The race is drawing extensive focus by both Democrats and Republicans, and today's announcement of the Chao event was instantly met with scorn from the Arizona Democratic Party, which seeks to portray Bee as a loyal Bushite and associate him with Social Security privatization.