The latest group working in Ohio to support Democrat John Kerry is Muslims for Kerry-Edwards. They launched their Web site, www.muslimsforkerry.com, last week.

The Bush campaign is not conceding the Muslim vote in Ohio. There's a rival Web site, www.muslimsforbush.com, touting the president.

"President Bush is very proud of his record of appointing more Arab- and Muslim-Americans to senior positions than any president in U.S. history," said Bush campaign spokesman Kevin Madden.

And immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush spoke out in defense of Islam and Arabs, and asked Americans not to harm either group, Madden said.

But the Muslim-Democrat group thinks it has the edge.

"I can't think of any other group that has been as adversely affected in the last four years as the Muslim community," said Nabeel Yousef of Upper Arlington, spokesman for the national group.

Every group this year claims to be the key swing group. But Muslims have two statistics on their side: They vote, and polls show there's been an extraordinary switch in allegiance since 2000.

While 78 percent of Muslims voted for President Bush in 2000 - they liked his conservative stance on values - polls now generally show his support among Muslims hovers near single digits.

No one knows how many Muslims there are in the United States. Ohio is home to an estimated 150,000 - a bloc big enough and angry enough to swing Ohio, Yousef said. Bush won Ohio by 165,000 votes in 2000.

Cincinnati's chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has been registering voters outside mosques after Friday prayers.

"We are trying to make it easy for Americans of the Muslim faith to get involved," said Karen Dabdoub, executive director of the local chapter.

She said her group has been critical of Bush but has not endorsed.

High-profile Ohio

Is Ohio important or something?: The Republican National Convention doesn't start until Aug. 30, but already Ohio is getting special treatment.

The convention Web page features "Delegates in Focus," little profiles, photos and interviews with 18 of the 2,508 delegates who will be attending.

Three of the 10 featured delegates are from Ohio.

The three Ohioans include a college administrator from Lorain, an office manager from Newark, and Conception Reyna, 54, of West Chester Township.

The local GOP party volunteer reveals that her favorite play is The Lion King and that the speaker she'd most like to see at the convention is Condoleezza Rice, an "extremely articulate, respected, smart, strong woman."

Alas, Reyna will not get her wish. Rice will not be speaking at the convention. "By tradition and practice, the national security adviser has not been an active participant in campaign events," said her spokesman, Sean McCormack.

Tear in his beer

Crusader looking for new crusade: Bob Schaffer, a West Chester native and 1980 Moeller High School grad, lost Tuesday's Republican primary for Senate in Colorado. Beer tycoon Peter Coors beat him 61 percent to 39 percent.

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E-mail cweiser@gannett.com or call (202) 906-8134.