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Hamm is No. 78 on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires, worth $11 billion, according to the magazine. Attendance at the dinner with Cheney cost $30,000, though many had already contributed that much before Thursday night's event. Cheney's red-doored home is at the end of a cul-de-sac and overlooks the golf course and the Grand Teton mountain range. The Secret Service had set up metal detectors on the back lawn in preparation for the dinner, and a tent for the dinner was erected near the 18th hole of the golf course close to the clubhouse. Romney doesn't have a close personal relationship with the former vice president. While he speaks regularly with former President George H.W. Bush, Romney seldom refers by name to the most recent Bush to occupy the White House. On occasion he goes out of his way not to say Bush's name out loud and simply calls him "the predecessor" to Obama. Romney has embraced Cheney in the past. Last year, he told an Arizona town hall that Cheney's "wisdom and judgment" would provide a model for choosing his own vice president. Many of Romney's policy advisers were officials in the Bush White House. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently endorsed the former Massachusetts governor. On Thursday, Romney aides refused to comment on reports that Rice is a top consideration for vice president. Earlier this month, Romney's wife, Ann, said her husband was considering choosing a woman as a running mate. Romney's visit with the GOP sage came as he was in the final stages of picking his No. 2. Cheney is familiar with the process: He was charged with leading Bush's vice presidential search in 2000 and ended up vice president himself. Romney has tasked longtime aide Beth Myers with leading his own vice presidential search. Cheney has long struggled with cardiovascular disease, suffering a heart attack in 2010, his fifth since the age of 37. Now 71, he received a heart transplant earlier this year at a more advanced age than most patients. Cheney's daughter Liz also attended Thursday's fundraiser. She recently bought a house in Wyoming, sparking questions about whether she plans to run for office. Her father was elected to six terms as a House member from the state.
[Associated
Press;
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