Obama, Clinton, McCain all coming

Howard Wilkinson reports:

Cincinnati may not be the center of the universe in Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary, but both candidates – Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton – will be here for campaign events over the next several days.

They will be followed quickly by Republican frontrunner John McCain, who plans to hold a campaign rally at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Hamilton County Memorial Hall, next to Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine.

Clinton campaign officials said Thursday the New York senator will be here Saturday for an event at a time and place to be announced.

Obama’s campaign has penciled in Cincinnati for a stop Monday at the midpoint of a three-day campaign swing through Ohio. As with the Clinton event, though, a time and place for the Obama visit has yet to be announced.

It will be Obama’s first trip to Cincinnati since last February, when he came to the Westin hotel for a fund raiser downtown that attracted over 1,000 people and raised several hundred thousand dollars for his campaign. Michelle Obama, the candidate’s wife, came in for a rally that drew 1,500 people to the Music Hall ballroom Friday night.

Clinton was here Friday too, speaking to about 200 supporters crammed into a Skyline Chili in Oakley.

Both candidates can be expected to come back to the Cincinnati area before the March 4 primary, but, chances are, they’ll spend more time in other, more heavily Democratic parts of the state. Only about one of every 10 Democratic primary voters in Ohio lives in the four southwestern Ohio counties of Hamilton, Clermont, Warren and Butler.

About four of every 10 Democrats live in the Cleveland area.

To RSVP for the McCain rally, email vbailey@mccain08hq.com or call (614) 307-1065