HELENA -- A lobbyist, one-time top aide to Republican Sen. Conrad Burns and Cabinet secretary under two Republican Montana governors is hosting a $2,500-a-person "NASCAR Fundraiser'' for Democrat Sen. Max Baucus in Georgia this month.

Leo Giacometto, Burns' chief of staff from 1995 through 1998 and former Cabinet member for Republican Govs. Marc Racicot and Judy Martz, confirmed Wednesday he is hosting the Baucus fund-raiser in Atlanta on Oct. 30.

Neither Giacometto nor Baucus would provide a copy of the fundraiser invitation. However, The Hotline, an online Washington, D.C., political journal, detailed the invitation in its Tuesday edition.

According to the Hotline, Giacometto asked for a $2,500-a-person donation for the event, which includes breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead, Ga., and a day at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Baucus would not agree to be interviewed for this story. His spokesman Barrett Kaiser confirmed lobbyist Giacometto is working for free to raise money for Baucus, who is up for re-election in 2008.

"Max has enjoyed widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans over his many years serving Montanans,'' Kaiser said. "He's proud of that support.''

Kaiser said Giacometto approached Baucus and volunteered to host the fundraiser. He said he didn't know how the relationship between Baucus, the state's highest-ranking Democrat, and Giacometto, a former Republican lawmaker, operative and cabinet secretary, might change Baucus' ability to raise money for Democrats who will be running against Burns next year.

Giacometto has a long career steeped in Republican politics. In the late 1980s, the Alzada rancher served two terms as a Republican in the Montana House of Representatives. He was later appointed U.S. marshal for Montana by Republican President. George H.W. Bush. Republican Gov. Racicot tapped him to be head of the state Department of Agriculture. From 1995 through 1998, Giacometto worked as Burns' chief of staff in Washington, D.C. Finally, Republican Gov. Martz appointed Giacometto to serve as one of Montana's two representatives on the Northwest Power Planning Council, a Cabinet-level position.

He resigned in March of 2002 in the wake of the drunk driving death of former House Majority Leader Paul Sliter, a Republican from Somers. Martz's former chief policy adviser, Shane Hedges, was intoxicated and driving the car in which Sliter was a passenger. Giacometto was one of the first person on the scene.

Since 2002, Giacometto has been a registered D.C. lobbyist, both for his own company, called Gage LLC, and for the technology company Compressus. Gage now represents a host of clients, including the University of Montana.

Giacometto said Baucus' role as ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee and the potential to curry favor with a powerful Democrat played no role in his decision to host the fund-raiser.

"I believe that he's good for what I believe in,'' he said, adding that he knew people would talk when they saw his name associated with the fund-raiser, but he had the courage to do it anyway.

"I would not be standing up and putting my name on a sheet of paper if I didn't believe in what I was doing,'' he said. "Of course, I knew that everybody would be seeing it and people will try to make issues with it. I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in.''

Baucus has been good for rural Montana, Giacometto said, including Carter County, where Giacometto still owns the family ranch.

He said he has also hosted fundraisers for Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg and Burns, both of whom are up for re-election next year.

Burns spokesman James Pendleton gave no comment on the situation.

Jim Farrell, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party, said it only makes sense that a longtime Republican like Giacometto would support Baucus.

"Baucus enjoys support from the Montana Democratic Party and from Montanans in all walks of life,'' Farrell said.

State Auditor John Morrison, who is running against state Senate President Jon Tester in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, said he thought it was "great that Max is doing a NASCAR event.''

"Every successful Democrat in Montana gets the support of some Republicans,'' he said.

Should Morrison prevail in the primary, he will go head-to-head against Giacometto's former boss Burns.

Tester could not be reached for comment.