By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DOWNTOWN - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry will make his first campaign stop in Cincinnati on Tuesday with a rally at Sawyer Point, campaign aides said Saturday.

The theme: "Jobs, jobs, jobs," said Kerry spokeswoman Kathy Roeder.

Kerry's visit will come the day after Vice President Dick Cheney throws the first pitch on Reds' Opening Day.

Ohio's importance in the 2004 presidential election is becoming a cliche, but the recent emphasis on southwestern Ohio is unusual - especially for Democrats. Hamilton County (54 percent), Butler County (63 percent), Clermont County (67 percent) and Warren County (70 percent) backed President Bush in 2000.

"The question is not whether he shows up here, it's whether he decides to spend sustained time here," said Eric Rademacher of the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research, which conducts the Ohio Poll.

With the attention on Ohio, it's important to recognize the differences between Cincinnati and Cleveland, he said. "The danger that both campaigns run is trying to come to Ohio with a single over-arching message."

Campaign aides said Kerry will try to make the case that the poor job market not only hurts the industrial, unionized economies of northern Ohio, but the more white collar and technical jobs of the southern part of the state.

The Kerry campaign has been critical of Bush tax policies, saying they encourage companies to create jobs overseas. An example: Convergys Corp., which provides customer service for other companies, has created 6,000 overseas jobs since getting $196 million in incentives from Ohio and Cincinnati City Council.

Poll numbers show Kerry and Bush in a statistical dead heat in Ohio, but Bush aides say it's still early. Greg Hartmann, the Bush-Cheney campaign's Hamilton County chairman, said the Republicans have a massive organizational advantage in Ohio.

The Kerry event is 11 a.m. Tuesday. It's free, but tickets are encouraged. They're available today from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 225 West Court St., downtown.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com