From the Schmidt party

Reporter Dan Horn is blogging the Jean Schmidt campaign party

Connie Bare was among the first to arrive this evening at Jean Schmidt's campaign headquarters on Main Street in Batavia.

As Schmidt's Clermont County campaign manager, Bare had spent the day handing out campaign fliers and chatting up voters across the county.

"If I was a drinker, I'd have a drink," Bare said, moments after walking in the door. "It's been a long day."

Bare said voter turnout seemed low in Batavia. She said low interest in the primary and the lack of other issues, such as school levies, on the ballot probably drove down turnout.

She said she voted absentee so she could devote her day to rousing voters to cast ballots for Schmidt. Decked out in a red, white and blue Schmidt T-shirt, she spent the day driving from polling place to polling place in search of voters.

"We got a good reception from everyone," she said.