Western Cincinnati (in-suburbs) is the most liberal area in a traditionally staunch conservative region. It was the voter enthusiasm of 2008 from the inner-city and inner suburbs that allowed Driehaus to win. Now they see he votes for bailouts, cap and trade and health care reform. He’s flaming out.
Downtown Cincinnati and surrounding areas like Price Hill and Westwood give this district a high percentage of African-Americans and make it a competitive district. The outer suburbs like Delhi, Green Township, and Colerain Township are reliably conservative and almost all of the state reps from those areas are Republicans. Without Obama to drive up minority turnout, Driehaus is in trouble. Those are the votes that put him over the top in 2008.