Meanwhile, in Washington…

At the same mid-day hour that While White House spokesman Tony Snow was mingling with Rep. Jean Schmidt supporters in Cincinnati, Schmidt’s predecessor in the 2nd Congressional District, Rob Portman, who is now White House budget director, was doing his part to help congressional elections from Washington.

Seated at the head of a large conference room table in the Old Executive Office building next door to the White House, Portman told a packed room of reporters that all the recent economic gains – falling gas prices, deficit reduction, job creation – would be in jeopardy should Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress.

“The election coming up will have consequences,” Portman said. “Republicans have pursued a pro-growth agenda, that includes tax relief, spending restraint, and there will be a different agenda should Democrats take the majorities.”

“The Democratic leadership in the House, in particular, has made it clear that they do not support the tax relief that has generated significant growth,” he added.

Asked about the current congressional page scandal surrounding Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., Portman said: “One of my colleagues called me this week and said, ‘Boy I bet you’re glad you’re not back in Congress.’ I couldn’t disagree.”

But on whether the scandal would overshadow the economic gains he was touting, Portman said, “We’ll see. I don’t know.”

He then added that it appears that the scandal was dying down and he expects the “kitchen table issues” that most Americans care about – jobs, stocks, gas prices – will in the end still be more important to voters at the ballot boxes.

“In some of the key states and some of the key districts even within these states, the economy remains the No. 1 issue,” he said.