CLEVELAND DEBATE| Ohio plays important role

CLEVELAND — Tonight, Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton will engage in a debate that will make Ohio history.

The March 4 Ohio Democratic Primary is the first presidential primary election since the 1970s where Ohio will play an important role in choosing the Democratic presidential candidate.

Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party chairman, today described Ohio as “a perfect storm” state. He said that in the past, Ohio has been a swing state that tends to lean conservative, but the 2006 midterm election showed very different results.

In 2004, John Kerry won only 16 of 88 Ohio counties, he said, but in 2006, Gov. Ted Strickland won 72 of the 88 counties. Redfern said Strickland was successful because he campaigned hard in small communities, speaking to individual people about the issues that mattered most to them.

During an election preview before tonight's debate, Doug Kelly, Ohio Democratic Party executive director, said between now and the general election, the state party plans to campaign in all counties, but particularly target red counties and recruit new supporters. They'll start by forming a stronger state Democratic Party, then focus their energized support groups — labor unions, college Democrats, and others — and encourage voters to make the shift, he said.

“[We] used to be 'one-size message fits all,' ” Kelly said. “Now, we’re starting the dialogue with the key segment that fits our base right now.”

In order to do that, they'll narrow their campaigning to target the individual household level. They'll use multilevel messaging and new media and build a strong grassroots support system.

Kelly said the party will embrace and use the neighborhood leader program, which focuses on local volunteers managing the effort, as well as recruiting new supporters.

Tonight’s debate will be aired live on Channel 21 WFMJ at 9 p.m. John Hagner, the state party's director of targeting, said some key topics to watch for are health care, the economy and trade, and the war in Iraq.