COLUMBUS — When Bob Bennett took over leadership of the Ohio Republican Party in 1988, Kevin DeWine was a sophomore at the University of Dayton, playing left field in a church softball league and reading meters for DP&L as a summer job.

Bennett is old enough to be DeWine's dad.

In January, Bennett, 69, will hand over control of the Ohio GOP to the next generation when DeWine, 40, becomes chairman.

Bennett isn't the only Ohio Republican leader born before the end of WWII to step down.

Congressmen Ralph Regula, 83, and Dave Hobson, 71, are calling it quits too.

That will leave Sen. George Voinovich, 72, as the grand old dad of the Ohio Grand Old Party.

While Sen. John McCain may become the oldest first-term president in American history, there is a quiet transition to the next generation leaders within the ranks of Ohio Republicans.

Both generations are expected to play high-profile roles at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul this week, leading the 170-plus member Ohio delegation.

DeWine is organizing the logistics for 400 Ohioans, networking with Republican leaders from across the nation and sending a message home about the strength of the party.

"This is my first convention," DeWine said.

"We are seeing a changing of the guard," said John Green of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.

He said 2008 is a natural time for such a transition. An eight-year Republican presidential administration is coming to a close, and some of the longtime powers in the Ohio party are reaching retirement age.

But, "generational change tends to be accelerated when the party is in trouble," he said.

He pointed to 2006 when the political careers of several prominent Republicans — among them Ken Blackwell and Betty Montgomery — came to a crashing halt, at least temporarily.

Likewise, he said it may have spurred some old-timers to end their career rather than continue life in the minority party.

Others argue it's more organic than electoral.

"It's the natural order of things. We're really lucky in Ohio, quite frankly, because we have some amazingly talented leaders — (House Speaker) Jon Husted, Kevin DeWine, (state Auditor) Mary Taylor. Despite their youth, they have some tremendous experience," said state Rep. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, who is 38. "I think that's going to serve the party and the state of Ohio very well."

These three leaders will get their share of the spotlight in St. Paul.

First Energy and an Akron area businessman are sponsoring a reception honoring Taylor on Monday night at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. Phone giant AT&T will sponsor a reception honoring DeWine at an 11 p.m. reception at Brit's Pub, which features rooftop lawn bowling. Husted will share the spotlight with Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, at a reception in their honor Wednesday afternoon at the Mill City Museum.

DeWine is focused on building the party for 2010 and beyond, beginning with candidate recruitment and development. He sees a bright future.

"I think we are in a great spot as a party, having new faces and new folks and new energy and ideas on the horizon," DeWine said.

Perhaps two of the brightest stars for the Ohio GOP are Mary Taylor and Jon Husted. Husted became house speaker at the ripe old age of 37, and is now running for state Senate, but insiders see him as a prime candidate to challenge Jennifer Brunner for Secretary of State in 2010.

Chris Duncan, political science chairman at the University of Dayton, argues Husted has proven himself in leadership despite his tender age.

"He's been very, very capable in terms of brokering deals and being able to reach across the aisle," he said. "At the same time, he's remained steadfast on the core issues. He's not somebody you hear people talking about with bile in their voice. Jon to me seems like the future of the Republican party in Ohio."

That future isn't guaranteed. Much depends on what happens in the 2010 election and whether Republicans can re-capture a majority of the five-member Apportionment Board.

The board meets every 10 years, after the U.S. Census, to redraw boundaries for the General Assembly seats. And the Legislature controls the drawing of congressional districts.

Republicans will need to retain the auditor's office and win either the secretary of state or governor's office to control the Apportionment Board.

"Some of these rising stars may disappear from the scene. That's the thing we don't know," said former Senate President Richard Finan. "If the Republicans don't win either (governor or secretary of state seats,) the Democrats will draw the lines and you'll see some of these rising stars will disappear."