Like most other Democrats in southeastern Ohio, Hendrickson, a single mother of two struggling to support her family as a waitress, voted for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary.

With Clinton out, Hendrickson says she plans to vote for Republican John McCain. She doesn't trust Democrat Barack Obama.

"I just don't feel comfortable with him," said Hendrickson, 36, of neighboring Portsmouth. "I don't think he's being honest about what he's going to do."

The political landscape of the 14-county southeastern region, a swing area of Ohio where chronic unemployment and poverty have left many feeling forgotten, would seem to favor Democrats.

But an uneasiness with Obama prevails in Appalachia, and for many it comes down to race.

"I'll be voting for a Republican for the first time in my life," Jeff Justice, a 46-year-old ironworker, said as he finished his lunch at Hickie's.

Asked why, Justice, a white former Wheelersburg resident now living in Florida, didn't hesitate.

"He's black."

Waitress Mary Walters, 45, of New Boston, said Obama, a first-term U.S. senator, doesn't have enough experience and she's concerned about his name.

"I don't know if he is truly an American," said Walters, who hasn't voted for a Republican for president since Ronald Reagan.

The sentiment is the same at the other end of the Appalachian region.

Race will trump the economic concerns of voters in Democratic Belmont County, predicted Obama supporter Sharon Fleming, 52, of Shadyside.

"I put yard signs in my yard, and they stole them. I have a bumper sticker on my car, and when I come out of the grocery, I hear snickering," Fleming said.

"This is Appalachia, and we have the biggest group of rednecks."

Back in Portsmouth, the region's largest city, Scioto County Democratic Chairman Randy Basham said race is Obama's biggest obstacle.

"If people focus on the issues -- the economy, trade, health care, education -- Obama fits people here like a glove," he said.

In a desperate attempt to overcome prejudice, the party's Web site includes a link to an article about claims by historians that the U.S. already has had five presidents with black ancestors.

Although it's the least-populated region in the state, southeastern Ohio is a crucial battleground where voters twice supported both Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush.

In 2004, Bush overcame his unpopularity and concerns about the economy because Democratic Sen. John Kerry did not connect with voters, Basham said. Obama faces the same problem.

At Scioto County GOP headquarters, volunteer Judy Welch said, "We're getting Democrats in here for the first time."

A recent poll found that deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Obama the election if the race is close. The Associated Press-Yahoo News survey found that a third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks.

"There are a lot fewer bigots than there were 50 years ago, but that doesn't mean there's only a few bigots," said political scientist Paul Sniderman of Stanford University in California, who helped analyze the survey.

Gov. Ted Strickland, a trusted son from Lucasville who represented the region in Congress, called race "the elephant in the room."

But the governor resents assertions that Ohioans in the region are racist.

"I think for those who may be hesitant (about Obama), it's not so much about race but lack of familiarity,"

he said.

Jerry Miller, an associate professor of communication studies at Ohio University in Athens, agrees.

"In many instances, if not much else is known about the candidate, stereotypical thinking is going to guide and direct our votes," he said.

Obama was clobbered in southeastern Ohio in the March 4 Democratic primary. Clinton won 81 percent of the vote in Scioto County, with similar margins across the region. Many voters say they would be more inclined to vote for Obama if he had put Clinton on the ticket.

Basham says Obama needs to visit the region with the Clintons and/or Strickland to help ease voter concerns.

"People trust Hillary here. They trust Ted," he said.

Laura Walker, a retired tax collector who is black, said race seems to be an issue with older voters more than younger ones.

"Obama is my son's America ... where they don't look at color," said Walker, 60, of Portsmouth.

Michelle Wessel, a 35-year-old student at Shawnee State University, likes Obama's position in favor of abortion rights and his plan to expand health coverage, something she hasn't been able to afford for five years.

"Obama is going to help people like me," said Wessel, a divorced mother of one studying sociology.

In far eastern Ohio's Belmont County, Joe Carpenter, who ran a home-repair business before retiring, said race is an issue for many voters, although most won't say so.

Carpenter, of Shadyside, said he might vote for McCain because he opposes abortion rights, or he might wait to see whether any candidate visits.

"They need to come down and see what's going on down here, because pretty soon we'll be a ghost town."

Belmont County Democratic Chairman Ed Good said he tries to ease concerns and dismiss rumors about Obama.

"I tell people, if you're out in that river drowning and the water is going by you, do you care who throws you the rope?"

ccandisky@dispatch.com