Crowds packs new Obama 2012 Hamilton County office for grand opening

CINCINNATI - The Hamilton County headquarters for President Obama's 2012 campaign hosted a grand opening Tuesday night at the new location on Woodburn Avenue in East Walnut Hills.

Volunteers say they have a long road ahead in order to repeat what the campaign did in 2008 to gain another victory for the Democratic Party and turn Hamilton County "blue" again this fall.

The campaign office will be open seven days a week through the November election. Volunteers will be busy making phone calls, sending emails, texts and conducting tweets and Facebook posts over the next several months.

Mayor Mark Mallory revved up the crowd Tuesday, which made the event seem more like a preliminary victory party than the start of a long campaign.

"Are you ready for another four years?," Mallory asked. The crowd responded, "Yeah!" The mayor then echoed a familiar call -- one the president has used in the past.

"Are you fired up?"

"Yeah!"

"Fired Up?

"Yeah!"

Ohio State Senator Eric Kearney also led the crowd, chanting, "We did it once and we'll do it again."

Mallory welcomed hundreds of volunteers and supporters. The crowd was so large that people had to stand outside the building on the street to take part.

Those who attended the rally said they plan to help re-elect the president for various reasons.

"We know that President Obama has more programs that are going to be effective for the American people as far as fairness and equity and the Republicans don't seem to know how to answer that," said North Avondale volunteer Howard Hawkins, who is a veteran of the 2008 Obama campaign in Cincinnati.

"For me, it's a big part of being part of the Crossroads community. I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. Getting together with friends, neighbors and family and just talking about the issues and getting the community organized," said new volunteer Alexandria Devrite of Norwood.

However, Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou says republicans in Hamilton County are just as enthusiastic and ready for the campaign season ahead.

"I know that Republicans are highly energized. I think that will be a little difference than it was four years ago, when we had an incumbent president. Republicans will be very energized to defeat this president," said Triantafilou.