LANSING (AP) — President Bush told an enthusiastic crowd of more than 300 Republican donors on Wednesday that the country needs a leader who is up the challenges the nation faces, including war, natural disasters and economic troubles.

Despite his own low standing in the polls and his status as a lame duck president, he said he's confident American voters will agree in November that Republicans are the best to handle those issues, whether the candidate in question is presidential hopeful John McCain or congressional candidates.

"When they get into that voting booth on Election Day, and they think about what really matters to them, they're going to vote Republican," he said.

Bush also said he's still feeling energetic about his remaining seven months in office.

"I'm going to finish my job with a sprint to the finish line," he said.

The president predicted that McCain will win Michigan in November, even though Michigan hasn't supported a Republican for the White House since Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, won the state in 1988.

Michigan is expected to be a battleground in the presidential race between McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. Bush spent much of his speech laying out why McCain would be the president the country needs.

He warned the Democrats will take the country in the wrong direction on issues from terrorism to energy, noting that they've rejected his suggestions for making energy more available, including allowing offshore oil and gas drilling.

"When it comes to energy policy, the congressional Democrats are running on empty," he said.

But Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said in statement that Bush and McCain are responsible for the policies that have hurt the Michigan economy, noting Michigan has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs while Bush has been in the White House.

"The Republicans are completely out of touch if they think the Bush-McCain policies that put Michigan in this mess will be helpful for our state, regardless of the millions they may bring in today," Brewer said.

Around a dozen protesters gathered across the street before the president's visit. They held signs that said, "We need jobs" and "Fair trade, not free trade."

Chuck Yob, who's helping with McCain's Michigan campaign, said Bush has done a good job as president, and predicted the state would do well with McCain in the White House.

"He knows Michigan," Yob said while attending the dinner. "He understands the problems and he knows what's going on, and he's committed to helping us."

He said the Arizona senator would campaign in eastern Michigan on July 10 and in western Michigan on July 17.

"We're one of the targeted states, and he's going to come here as much as we need him," Yob said.

McCain had a slight lead over Obama in a mid-May poll, but that was before Obama campaigned in southeast Michigan and Flint in recent weeks. A new statewide Quinnipiac University poll was to be released Thursday morning.

A hundred people donated $5,000 to attend a photo reception with the president and then the dinner, while those attending only the dinner paid $1,000 each. The president spent about 25 minutes after his speech shaking hands with party activists. The state GOP raised around $700,000 at the event before expenses, according to party spokesman Bill Nowling.

The party will use the money to recruit Republican voters during the campaign and get them to the polls in November.

Bush last was in the state in April 2007, when he gave a speech at East Grand Rapids High School about the war in Iraq, worldwide anti-terrorism efforts and U.S. foreign policy.

He said during Wednesday's speech at Laurel Manor that he hadn't attended the Michigan GOP's largest fundraising dinner since he was still the Texas governor, running for his first presidential term.

He joked that a lot had changed since then. "I haven't seen a traffic jam in eight years," he said.

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EDITOR's NOTE: Kathy Barks Hoffman heads the Lansing AP bureau and has covered Michigan politics since 1986.

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On the Net:

Michigan Republican Party: http://www.migop.org