Black follows the numbers

Cliff Peale reporting from Steve Black's election night headquarters:

The crowd of about 30 people at Black's campaign party here at the Holiday Inn Eastgate went silent for the first time at 9:46 p.m. when Jean Schmidt, the incumbent and a potential Republican opponent this fall, appeared on the big screen for a television interview.

Black, competing for the Democratic nomination in Ohio's 2nd congressional district, drew applause when he arrived at 9:08 p.m. As the first campaign results trickled in from Adams and Brown counties, the pattern emerged with Democratic opponent Victoria Wulsin earning about 50 percent, and Black and lesser known candidate William Smith splitting the other half.

"I'm a little disappointed by the results in the outlying counties," Black said. "It looks like William Smith is siphoning off some votes that might have been mine."

Despite some of the bitter back-and-forth charges traded between Black and Wulsin, Black said he would have no problem urging Democrats to unite this fall against Schmidt.

"It's important for us to turn out Jean Schmidt," he said. "If she wins this time, she'll be all the more entrenched."