Hillary Clinton

The campaign of state Sen. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) is saying that opponent attorney Sharen Neuhardt (D-Yellow Springs) has become desperate in her campaign to replace retiring U.S. Rep. David Hobson (R-Springfield) in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, after advancing her own campaign $110,000.

Austria said the advance brings the amount of money Neuhardt has personally spent on her campaign, including her in-kind donations, to over $125,000.

"My opponent's extremely liberal views do not mix well with the families of this district, which is why she has not received much support from local residents," Austria said. "Instead, she has put in $110,000 of her own money coupled with another approximately $130,000 from her own law firm."

DELAWARE -- Hillary Clinton lost Delaware County but won Ohio in the Democratic primary. She returned Friday to deliver both for Barack Obama in the general election.

Clinton told hundreds at Buckeye Valley High School deep inside this emerging swing county that no state has more to gain or lose in the election than Ohio. For eight years the state has sunk under the weight of President Bush's economic policies and will sink further if John McCain is elected, Clinton said.

"There can't be any by standards in this election because it will really determine the quality of our life and the standard of our living for years to come. We are in a financial crisis born and bred by failed Republican policies of George Bush and John McCain," Clinton said, adding both want to cut regulations and taxes for corporations while ignoring mounting economic crises.

At first blush Delaware County looks like a strange place for Hillary Clinton to campaign for Barack Obama.

The county has voted Republican for president for more than 20 years and gave President Bush 66 percent of its vote in 2004.

But, Clinton, the Democratic senator from New York, will be at Buckeye Valley Local High School today trying to get more votes for her rival in the presidential primary.

Much has changed in four years. Democrats now feel they can bring Delaware into the win column.

The Columbus Dispatch survey of likely voters shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by 7 points.

Obama has 49 percent support to McCain's 42 percent. 

Obama's support is higher among Democrats than before, now standing at 84 percent. McCain has 90 percent GOP support.  Fifteen percent of independents are undecided.

Many more details after the jump.

Gov. Ted Strickland and attorney Sharen Neuhardt (D-Yellow Springs) encouraged early-voting and the "Hillary Sent Me!" grassroots effort in Ohio Friday afternoon in a conference call.

Neuhardt is running against state Sen. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) to replace retiring U.S. Rep. David Hobson (R-Springfield) in Ohio's 7th Congressional District.

"Hillary Sent Me!" is a grassroots mobilization effort "designed to galvanize Hillary Clinton's supporters and others across the country to help send Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden to the White House, to work on behalf of this year's critical Democratic races, and to get America back on track."

The effort began last weekend in New Hampshire, and will continue this weekend in Ohio and next weekend in Pennsylvania. The effort includes volunteers canvassing and phone banking for Democratic candidates.

U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) campaign had a pretty solid week, and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is coming in to the state to try to turn things around for Obama. Meanwhile, Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) and Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) found themselves on the wrong side of a major third party effort against their congressional campaigns. They're among this week's Winners & Losers. | CLICK HERE

Hillary Clinton will make her first campaign appearance for Barack Obama in Ohio this Sunday, the Obama campaign announced.

Clinton will hold rallies in Lorain and Akron, both areas where she beat Obama in the March Democratic primary.

Lorain and Summit counties are Democratic counties. Both counties have Democrats running for president or governor since 1994.

Clinton's campaigning in Democratic areas for her party's nominee may be because he's hovering north of 75 percent Democratic support in most recent Ohio polls. This is in contrast to John McCain's Republican support, which is typically about 10 points higher.

MINNEAPOLIS -- John McCain's Ohio campaign manager Jon Seaton said Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-Alaska) placement on the Republican ticket has led to a groundswell of volunteer support but wouldn't go as far to say that she'll bring in droves of Hillary Clinton supporters.

About half of voters who cast their ballot for Hillary Clinton in the March primary who are not yet supporting Barack Obama for president. Seaton said McCain has appeal to these voters already.

"I think Senator McCain has always very done with Democrat and independent voters and I think that we  expecting to do so governor palin, and again, is very popular in Alaska, and I think she's going to be a great addition to the ticket and will be a great vice president," Seaton said.