Congressman Chris Shays (R-Bridgeport) brought out the big guns when White House Press Secretary Tony Snow stood by his side at a Greenwich fundraiser Thursday.

The event, which was held in a Valley Drive home, comes as polls show the Republican in a dead heat with Democratic challenger Diane Farrell. Snow described Shays as a man with integrity and a person who never wavers. Shays also stood shoulder-to-shoulder with President George Bush at a GOP fundraiser in September.

Gary Rose, who is a political science professor at Sacred Heart University, believes it was a mistake for Shays to align himself so closely with the embattled Bush administration as support wanes for the war in Iraq. But Shays says he wanted to have people learn more about the Bush White House and how it functions. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) will join him Saturday.

Farrell dismissed the significance of the fundraiser, saying Snow attended because Shays has been very supportive of the president?s initiatives. Farrell has recently campaigned with heavy hitters like U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY). Democratic strategist James Carville will throw his support behind the challenger Friday.