RALEIGH — Vice President Dick Cheney joined Senator Jesse Helms at a fund-raiser in Raleigh Friday evening.

The event, held at the Sheraton Capital Center in downtown Raleigh, was designed to raise money for the Jesse Helms Center atWingate Universitynear Charlotte.

Guests paid $1,000 a plate to rub elbows with two of the most influential men in Washington. There was little talk of politics, instead most of the focus was on Helms' accomplishments.

"Whatever the outcome, you can always count on Jesse Helms to be the man with courage, to speak from principle and to be true to his own beliefs and his state," Cheney said of the state's senior U.S. senator.

The vice president spoke for about 10 minutes. After his remarks, he and his wife, Lynne, hopped back on the plane and headed for Texas, where they hope to get in some rest before next week's State of the Union address.