More than 200 crammed the room at lunchtime to hear her, alternating between chants of "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah," and "Kerry, Kerry, Kerry." It was a curious mix of the starstruck and the politically savvy, many of them nervously peeking at watches since they were on their lunch hours and the event started 45 minutes late.

Wearing her hair straight and duded up in tight jeans, white T-shirt, brown leather high-heeled boots and suede jacket, Parker shared the stage with five other women and said this was a homecoming she had to attend. "Speaking as a native Ohioan, a woman, a wife and first and foremost a mother, I'm here because I'm concerned about the future of our children.

"There's no place I'd rather be than here today, the city of my parents, my grandparents and my great grandparents."