ELECTION SECTION

• Election 2004 page

Local Republican Party leaders say they expect to make tickets available today.

The Bush-Cheney campaign wasn't officially announcing the event Tuesday, saying the president's schedule needed to remain flexible in the final days of the campaign. But Hamilton County officials and a spokeswoman for Reds owner Carl Lindner confirmed the event.

Hamilton County's taxpayers own the 2-year-old Great American Ball Park, and county administrator David Krings said the rental fee starts at $100,000 plus expenses.

The park's baseball-only capacity is 42,059, but by packing in standing-room-only and field-level seating, the capacity could easily exceed 50,000.

That's a magic number, because the Bush campaign claims to have held the largest political rally ever in Ohio a month ago today, when the president visited Voice of America Park in West Chester. The campaign said 50,000 people attended, but independent estimates put the figure anywhere from 35,000 to 55,000.

University of Cincinnati pollster Eric W. Rademacher said the visit to conservative Cincinnati was predictable, as both candidates work to turn out their bases in the critical swing state of Ohio.

Democratic candidate John F. Kerry will be in the Democratic strongholds of Youngstown and Cleveland on Saturday and Monday night.

Bush has been to the Cincinnati area seven times during his presidency. Four of those visits have come this year.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com