President Bush yesterday told local Republicans that Sen. John McCain would be a competitive candidate in Pennsylvania and would give his party a shot at winning the crucial swing state in November.

"Pennsylvania is in play, and Republicans are going to have a good chance," said Jim Roddey, chairman of the Allegheny County Republican Committee, who heard the president speak at a fund-raiser in Sewickley Heights last night.

The closed event, held at the home of Laura and Claude Kronk, raised as much as $1 million for the state party, Mr. Roddey said.

A relaxed Mr. Bush spoke for 45 minutes and then took questions from the crowd of about 350 people. He predicted that Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican and his party's presumptive 2008 presidential nominee, would win the election.

"He thinks it's important for McCain to be in the White House," Mr. Roddey said of the president. "He's concerned that if the Democrats control the House, Senate and the White House, the spending and welfare programs would just spiral out of control."

Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain waged a fiercely competitive primary battle during the 2000 election cycle, leaving some bitterness. But Mr. McCain has since become an ally of the president, and he actively campaigned for Mr. Bush's re-election four years ago.

Mr. Bush himself lost Pennsylvania twice as a candidate, yet his 2004 loss here was by less than 150,000 votes.

A Rasmussen poll released earlier this month showed Mr. McCain with a slight lead over both Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, according to pollster.com.

Still, Mr. McCain could face an uphill battle in the state. The competitive Democratic race heading up to the April 22 primary election has attracted many new voters to the party.

Statewide, 29,060 people changed their registration to the Democratic Party in the week of March 17, compared with 1,375 who became Republicans, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Last night, Mr. Bush spent less than three hours in the region after making a speech on the Iraq war in Dayton, Ohio.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Air Force One touched down at the 911th Airlift Wing station at Pittsburgh International Airport. At the foot of the 747's steps, the president presented the Volunteer Service Award to Lydia Humenycky of Hempfield, who spent more than two years in the West African nation of Togo with the Peace Corps.

A motorcade of nearly two-dozen vehicles then traveled to the Kronk home, with state police briefly shutting down portions of the Parkway West and Interstate 79.

The fund-raiser's attendees included Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Rep. Phil English, R-Erie. The cost was $1,000 per head and $10,000 to have a picture taken with the president.

Mr. Roddey said the state GOP will pay the president's travel expenses -- about $75,000 for the use of Air Force One and $50,000 for security and other costs -- because he was attending a political event.

Mr. Bush spoke about progress being made in the Iraq war. He also spoke about how difficult it is to "live in a fish bowl" as president. He said he plans to avoid the limelight when he leaves office next year by spending most of his time at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. He is considering writing a book.

Mr. Roddey said the president teased him about their shared Texas roots, calling him a "horned frog" because he was a student at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.