U.S. Senate challenger Joe Hoeffel needed to do something to get himself noticed in Western Pennsylvania, where he is running well behind Republican Arlen Specter.

	Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Swissvale, watches as former President Bill Clinton shakes hands with Joe Hoeffel, right, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, at a fund-raising dinner at Omni William Penn, Downtown. Click photo for larger image.

The Democrat's meet-and-greets at coffeehouses and news conferences on sidewalks were having little effect.

So, last night, Hoeffel tried an altogether different approach: He held a campaign fund-raiser featuring the Democratic Party's biggest star.

"It's unbelievable to be here with President Bill Clinton," Hoeffel said, introducing the former chief of state to a throng of 250 in an Omni William Penn ballroom.

Drawing roof-raising applause as he reached the dais, Clinton told the Democratic faithful, "You'll need to calm down a little. You'll have me thinking I'm still president."

Clinton spoke only briefly about the Senate race, saying, "I had a decent relationship with [Specter], who would vote from time to time with us, until [the Republican Party] got the White House."

Almost his entire 30-minute speech was devoted to criticizing President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress, blaming them for the sluggishness of the economy.

"They have forgotten Ronald Reagan's favorite question: 'Are you better off today than you were four years ago?' The answer almost always comes out wrong for them," Clinton said.

He saved some of his sharpest barbs for the Bush tax cuts, admitting that he has benefitted from them, now that he is a millionaire author of a best-selling book.

"It never occurred to me that once I got rich I wasn't supposed to pay taxes," Clinton said. "I got these two huge tax cuts, and it didn't make a lick of sense.

"If [Republicans] are doing what they think is right, they ought not to be ashamed to talk about it," he added. "Why don't they say, 'We think it's more important for Bill Clinton to have a tax cut than for 300,000 kids to stay in their after-school program.'"

Gov. Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Swissvale, and former Steelers great Franco Harris also spoke at last night's fund-raiser.

For Hoeffel, the event addressed three of the main deficiencies of his campaign.

It drew media attention to a candidate who is struggling to boost his name recognition in Western Pennsylvania.

It pumped an estimated $250,000 into his campaign account, which is considerably smaller than Specter's.

And it conferred credibility to a candidate who is trying to persuade people that he can beat a four-term incumbent.

The event capped an 18-day campaign swing during which Hoeffel visited all 67 of Pennsylvania's counties.

While last night could only help, the Democrat from Montgomery County views his television commercials, which have yet to air, as the key to overcoming a 20-point deficit in the polls.

"I won't get the name recognition I need until I get on TV," he said before last night's event.

Specter, for his part, is preparing for a major fund-raising event of his own.

Tomorrow night in Manhattan, Donald Trump will entertain donors to the senator's campaign at the Trump Tower, as the Republican National Convention unfolds nearby.