Tristate Republicans by the hundreds will travel to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the inauguration of George W. Bush after a historic and hard-fought election. Some of them won't be buying a return ticket.

        Ohio and Kentucky came through for Mr. Bush in the general election — the Republican won Ohio by 4 percentage points and Kentucky by 16 — and both states could end up with some high-level appointments in the Bush administration. Some names have been speculated about for weeks now, including:

        • George Voinovich: Now Ohio's junior senator, Mr. Voinovich is a former Cleveland mayor and two-term Ohio governor who has been mentioned as a possible Cabinet secretary or in a diplomatic post, with his extensive contacts in eastern Europe.

        • Rob Portman: The congressman from Terrace Park has ties to the Bush family unlike anyone else in the Ohio congressional delegation. He worked in the administration of President George Bush, he played the role of vice president-elect Richard Cheney's opponent in debate preparations, and he became one of the Bush-Cheney team's principal spokesman in the contested Florida election.

        • J. Kenneth Blackwell: Earlier this year, the Ohio Secretary of State was national chairman of the campaign of Steve Forbes, one of Mr. Bush's rivals for the GOP. But after the Forbes candidacy folded, Mr. Blackwell jumped on the Bush bandwagon and became one of the few high profile African-Americans to act as a surrogate for the Bush-Cheney ticket.

        • John Kasich: The beginning of the Bush administration will mark the end of the Westerville Republican's 18 years in Congress, six as House Budget chairman. GOP insiders say he is likely to be offered a job as director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Bush administration.

        • Joseph Hagin: The Indian Hill Republican has been on intimate terms with the family since he worked in the elder Mr. Bush's failed bid for the GOP nomination in 1980. Earlier this year, Mr. Hagin took a leave from his job to become the Bush deputy campaign manager. He is likely to be offered a substantial job in the Bush administration, but Mr. Hagin has said he plans to return to Cincinnati.

        • John Bridgeland: The Indian Hill native is Mr. Portman's former chief of staff. This year, he joined the Bush campaign as a policy adviser.

        • Betty Montgomery: Ohio's attorney general could end up being offered a job in the Justice Department or elsewhere in the administration.

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TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
Local voters just glad it's over
Lawmakers talk conciliation
Ohio could reap the spoils
Tristate Republicans could win appointments
Kentuckians see friend in Bush
Tristate scholars consider lessons, impact of election
Impact on Abortion
Impact on Education
Impact on Environment/energy
Impact on Health Care
Impact on Social Security
Bush electors in the Tristate