Ohio Politics: Rumors about Paul Hackett
Posted By RichC on February 13, 2006
Update Feb 14: Paul Hackett has changed his plans to run for Senate with some arm twisting from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and New York Senator Charles Schumer. Hackett indicated his frustration saying “For me, this is a second betrayal,” Hackett said. “First, my government misused and mismanaged the military in Iraq, and now my own party is afraid to support candidates like me.”
Rumors are swirling that Paul Hackett (see Cincinnati Enquirer blog) might change his mind about running for a Senate seat and will return to fight with Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) for the Ohio 2nd district seat instead. It would be a wise decision if the Democrats in Ohio are to unite in the coming year. Paul Hackett probably has a good chance of defeating Jean Schmidt considering how close the race was last time when Schmidt had the coattails of President Bush.
We’re a few days away from a necessary decision by Hackett that will determine where the Dems will position themselves in the next election. Most Democrat would like to avoid a costly primary considering Hackett’s Senate bid has struggled since Rep. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat with a $2.4 million dollar war chest. (Hackett has $230,000 in which to run his campaign) Democratic primary is set for May 2 and most Democrats do not want a party battle, preferring the campaign be reserved in hopes to defeat Republicans.
Interestingly the Mayor of Cincinnati, Democrat Mark Mallory, issued a statement early today and then retracted (modified) it a few hours later. It reads:
“I applaud Paul Hackett for making the difficult decision to step out of the race for the US Senate and to step in to the race for the 2nd Congressional District. Paul’s passion and dedication will make him an excellent Congressman for Ohio. It is time for Democrats to come together and focus on providing a clear vision for the future of Ohio and the country.”
The later statement then reads:
Please note the corrected statement.
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory issues the following statement about Paul Hackett’s decision to enter the race for the 2nd Congressional District.
“I encourage Paul Hackett to make the difficult decision to step out of the race for the US Senate and step in to the race for the 2nd Congressional District. Paul’s passion and dedication will make him an excellent Congressman for Ohio. It is time for Democrats to come together and focus on providing a clear vision for the future of Ohio and the country.”
The next few days should be interesting for those following Ohio politics.
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