By Suzanne Dougherty
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 21

Delegates: 69

Chairman: Gov. Bob Taft

Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Downtown (215) 496-3200

1996 Election:
Clinton – 47%
Dole – 41%
Perot – 11%

Nothing could motivate Ohio's Republican delegation to rally behind Texas Gov. George W. Bush's presidential bid better than this cautionary fact: No Republican has ever been elected president without carrying Ohio.

Ohio was solid Bush country in the March 7 primary. Bush trounced Arizona Sen. John McCain, carrying 17 of 19 congressional districts and claiming 63 of the 69 GOP delegates. McCain salvaged his six delegates by winning the Cleveland-based 11th District and Akron-area 14th District.

For the most part, the Ohio GOP delegation reads like a "Who's Who" in Ohio Republican politics. Most of the Republican state constitutional officeholders are delegates; Gov. Bob Taft - the great-grandson of President William Howard Taft and the son and grandson of U.S. senators - is the delegation chairman.

All but one of the statewide Republican officeholders were early Bush backers. The exception, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, was a leader in the short-lived campaign of publisher Steve Forbes, but is back in favor with the Bush crew. He was designated by the state Republican Party as an "honorary vice chairman" of the delegation.

So was Sen. Mike DeWine, who is not a delegate. DeWine stood out as a rare McCain supporter in the Senate and in Ohio. But he quickly lined up behind Bush after McCain faltered. "I will campaign just as hard for George Bush as I did for John McCain," DeWine said at a press conference after McCain suspended his campaign in early March.

DeWine is favored to win a second Senate term this year.

First-term Sen. George V. Voinovich also is an honorary vice chairman. Voinovich, who served from 1991 to 1999 as Ohio governor, was mentioned as a vice presidential possibility for 1996 Republican standard-bearer Bob Dole.

None of the state's 11 Republican U.S. House members are delegates, though they also are honorary vice chairmen.

The Ohio delegation is diverse. Half the delegates are women, as state party rules require. Two women and one man serve as delegates from odd-numbered congressional districts; two men and one woman are delegates from even-numbered congressional districts. Six men and six women serve as at-large delegates.

Three of the state's top officials attending the convention are women: Lt. Gov. Maureen O'Connor, state Attorney General Betty Montgomery and state House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson.

Including alternates, the Ohio delegation's percentage of blacks and Hispanics exceeds the overall state percentage. Black delegates include Columbus City Councilwoman Jennette Bradley and former state Sen. Janet Howard, the first African-American Republican woman to serve in the state Senate.

The delegation also includes some well-known local business leaders, including Tim Smucker, chairman of the Orrville-based J.M. Smucker Co., well-known for its fruit preserves; Bruce Soll, vice president of the clothing retailer The Limited Inc.; and Raj Soin, chairman and chief executive officer of Modern Technologies Corp. All are major financial contributors to GOP committees and candidates.

OHIO NOTABLES: Gov. Bob Taft, the delegation chairman; Lt. Gov. Maureen O'Connor; state Senate President Dick Finan; state House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson; state Attorney General Betty Montgomery; state Auditor Jim Petro; state Treasurer Joe Deters.