A front window of the office on Seventh Street was smashed in. The thieves reached in, opened the door, and took $300 out of a metal petty cash box, police said.

Investigators took fingerprints from inside the office, but those prints likely will be from people who work in the office, Capt. James Whalen said. There was no indication that the break-in had anything to do with politics, he said.

Brent Sanders, field director for the campaign, discovered the break-in about 7:30 a.m. when he came in to work. Staffers had been at the office until 11:30 p.m. Thursday, said Alex Triantifilou, vice chairman of the Hamilton County Bush/Cheney campaign.

The thief or thieves also went through drawers, he said, and messed things up on desks.

"There's no doubt it's created some concern,'' Triantifilou said. "We don't know if it's politically motivated or not.''

The office also housed other Republican organizations.

The window was valued at $400. It was replaced by Friday afternoon.

E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com