Of the 435 seats, only about 50 are considered even remotely competitive races. Of those 50, three are in Kentucky and three in Indiana. One of the most competitive races in the nation is Northern Kentucky's race between Nick Clooney and Republican Geoff Davis.

Just west of Cincinnati, Rep. Baron Hill, D-Seymour, is fending off another tough challenge from Republican trucking magnate Mike Sodrel.

Other hot Kentucky races, according to House watchers like Charlie Cook, are in Louisville and Lexington. In Indiana, they're around South Bend and Evansville.

And in Ohio? Nada.

The latest figures showing how much money the candidates have on hand as of June 30 tell the story. The figures are based on reports filed in July at the Federal Election Commission:

In the 1st District, which includes parts of Cincinnati, western Hamilton County, and southwestern Butler County:

• Rep. Steve Chabot: $446,963.

• Democratic challenger Greg Harris: $14,100.

In the 2nd District, which includes parts of Cincinnati, eastern Hamilton County, southern Warren County, and the counties east along the Ohio River.

• Rep. Rob Portman: $2.35 million.

•  Democratic challenger Charles Sanders: $1,073 (with debts of $3,881).

In the 8th District, which includes most of Butler County:

•  Rep. John Boehner: $423,145.

•  Democratic challenger Jeff Hardenbrook: $11,734.

Only in the third district are the candidates even remotely competitive when it comes to money. That district, which includes northern Warren County, shows freshman GOP Rep. Mike Turner with $465,300 to Democratic challenger Jane Mitakides' $132,675. Democrats suggested it could eventually become a race to watch.

You never know who you'll meet on a walk: While walking across Ohio to get publicity, Democratic Senate candidate Eric Fingerhut had an unplanned rendezvous with comedian Dave Chappelle at The Emporium in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

"Though Dave was clearly trying to have a normal day with his family, he took the time to stop, take a picture, and talk for around 10 minutes about my campaign, this race and the future of Ohio," Fingerhut wrote on his walk's Web journal at www.walkohio.com.

Chappelle, host of Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central, did not appear to know who Fingerhut was, reports Robert Mihalek of the Yellow Springs News. The actor and comedian lived as a boy in Yellow Springs.

Helping the economy, one pizza at a time: The president, his staff and the White House press corps lunched on LaRosa's pizza on Air Force One as he left for Traverse City, Mich., on Monday. The order, picked up at the Edgewood, Ky., store, consisted of 13 large traditional-crust pepperoni pizzas and 4 large traditional-crust plain pizzas, said Pete Buscani, LaRosa's executive vice president of marketing.

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Contributing: Greg Korte

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