Corker headlines fundraiser

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., was the main draw Tuesday evening at a Tennessee Republican Party fundraiser in Chattanooga.

Kim Ketchel, a spokeswoman for the state party, said the proceeds from the event, the party's first formal fundraiser of the year, would go toward state legislative campaigns.

She said the party typically does not release fundraising totals from regional events.

Todd Womack, Sen. Corker's chief of staff, said the former Chattanooga mayor probably would speak about the federal debt, as he has at a number of other engagements around the state.

The fundraiser was split into two parts: A reception at Niko's Southside Grill that cost $250 per person/couple and a dinner at Table 2 restaurant that cost $3,000 per person/couple.

Neither portion of the fundraiser was open to the press.