Ohio's primary is exactly one month away and despite the local issues and candidates on the ballot, the Republican presidential candidates will get a lot of attention.
Expect to see a lot of ads on television and a lot of personal appearances from Republicans trying to win their party's nomination.
The campaign in Ohio began today
Newt Gingrich (R-GA) made several stops in the state and the other Republican candidates will elbow for room, as well, over the next several weeks.
A political science professor at Bowling Green State University tells 13 ABC, "if (the candidates)e serious about winning that nomination, they've got to start competing in Ohio, now."
Ohio has 66-delegates up for grabs, the second most of all 10-states voting in the Super Tuesday primary March 6th.
Dr. Melissa Miller says, that means the candidates will make a lot of stops here. "It's hard to do a bus tour all around the state and so the candidates do tend to fly into the big cities."
Ohio is very much in play
Lucas County Republican Party chairman, Jon Stainbrook, expects the four candidates left in the race to spend time in Ohio and they and their super-pacs will spend *a lot* of money on campaign ads.
Stainbrook told 13 ABC reporter Bill Hormann, "We're going to make sure the person we're going to have can stand the heat in the kitchen and then we all make up. We're friends and we're going to beat Barack Obama. That's what this is all about."
The Democrats aren't sitting still. In a few weeks, they will open up the Obama Northwest Ohio headquarters in downtown Toledo and you might see some pro-Obama ads...
But right now, Democrats have not organized protests to counter the Republican candidates campaigning in Ohio. Lucas County Democratic Party chairman, Ron Rothenbuhler says, "We haven't any plans yet. I think we'll wing it based on what we see them, what they produce."
What Republicans will likely produce is sharp attacks against the president on jobs and economy... and attacks against frontrunner Mitt Romney (R-MA) on the big auto bailout.
Professor Miller says, "Gingrich, Santorum, Ron Paul may bring that up as this campaign comes to Michigan and Ohio and say, you know, are you for the average worker."
Mitt Romney's super pac will start running ads, Wednesday.
Michigan's primary is February 28th; Ohio's March 6th.
And voters in our area will see more ads than anyone in the country.
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