Akron Beacon Journal: Hackett ends bid for seat in Senate

Letter says Iraq veteran reluctantly drops out after requests by party leaders

By Carl Chancellor

Rock on.

That was Paul Hackett’s parting remark in a brief letter sent to supporters Tuesday announcing his decision to withdraw from the race for U.S. Senate and thereby avoiding a potentially messy primary battle with seven-term U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown.

Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and seeming up-and-comer in the Democratic party, said he made the decision to step aside “reluctantly, only after repeated requests by party leaders.”

From the tone of his letter, a clearly disgruntled Hackett said that in addition to political pressure to withdraw, there were also “behind-the-scenes machinations that were intended to hurt my campaign.”

Read more

AP: Iraq vet drops out of Senate race in Ohio

By David Hammer

Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett has abandoned his campaign to win a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio less than a year after a strong political debut in which he gained popularity for his staunch criticism of President Bush, according to a published report Tuesday.

Hackett, of Cincinnati, also told The New York Times that he may leave politics altogether, driven from the ballot by the same Democratic leaders who urged him to run after his narrow defeat in a House race last year.

“This is an extremely disappointing decision that I feel has been forced on me,” Hackett said.

Read more

AP: Mayor’s Wrong Statement About Senate Candidate Fuels Speculation

By David Hammer

An incorrect news release fed speculation Monday about Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett’s political future.

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory sent a statement to news media praising Hackett, a fellow Democrat, for leaving his campaign for U.S. Senate to instead take a second shot at a Cincinnati-area House seat that he nearly won last summer.

Mallory meant to send a release encouraging Hackett to take on GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt, his spokesman Dan Phenicie said.

“We apparently got some misinformation,” he said.

Read more

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Zounds Like Rumors

Somebody out there is dreaming. At least that’s what the campaigns of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Paul Hackett and Sherrod Brown say about Internet rumors that one of them will drop out of the primary race. Brown spokesman Ben Wikler: “Sherrod is in for the long haul and has no comment on the rumors that DeWine is dropping out.” Hackett’s people offered something else for the blogosphere to chew on. Spokesman Karl Frisch: “The Hackett campaign refuses to traffic in gossip and innuendo, but we have heard rumors that an animal-human hybrid may be joining the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Mike Dewine.”

Ohio: Hackett’s Dem Bona Fides Called Into Question

National Journal: The Hotline

Hackett “opened a Columbus campaign office” 2/8, although Brown supporters “preceded the office opening by making sure reporters knew that Hackett” had once been a GOPer. Hackett spokesperson Karl Frisch acknowledged that Hackett took GOP ballots twice in the ’90s to support friends who were running for local offices. Frisch: “Had Paul been scripting himself to be a politician for the rest of his life, perhaps he would have done something different.”

“He explained that Hackett had little interest in politics until 1998, when he became incensed by the House’s impeachment” of Pres. Clinton. He voted as a Dem in the ‘04 primary (Hallett, Columbus Dispatch, 2/10).

Columbus Dispatch: Brown Camp Spreading Word Hackett was a Republican

By Joe Hallett

Paul Hackett, once a Republican and now a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, opened a Columbus campaign office Wednesday at 1650 Watermark Dr. Supporters of U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, Hackett’s Democratic primary opponent, preceded the office opening by making sure reporters knew that Hackett had been a registered Republican.

Karl Frisch, Hackett’s campaign spokesman, acknowledged that Hackett took Republican ballots twice in the 1990s to support friends who were running for local offices.

“Had Paul been scripting himself to be a politician for the rest of his life, perhaps he would have done something different,” Frisch said.

Read more

The Hill: Hackett a Recent Dem

By Jonathan E. Kaplan

Paul Hackett, the Iraq war veteran turned Democratic Senate hopeful in Ohio, had not been a declared Democrat until two years ago.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the finding on its website Tuesday after examining data at the Hamilton County Board of Elections.

Hackett has always voted for a Democratic candidate for president and only voted in GOP primaries if a friend was running, said Karl Frisch, Hackett’s spokesman. He began describing himself in 1998 as a Democrat after the House impeached President Clinton.

Hackett ran for GOP Rep. Rob Portman’s open seat in 2005 but lost to Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio).

Toledo Blade: Brown, Hackett Flex Fund-Raising Muscles

DeWine still far ahead of competitors

By Jim Tankersley

Democrats Sherrod Brown and Paul Hackett each raised nearly $500,000 last quarter in their bids to unseat Sen. Mike DeWine, flashing fund-raising strength that Ohio’s Democratic Senate candidates haven’t shown for more than a decade - but still trailing the incumbent Republican.

Collectively, Mr. Brown and Mr. Hackett raised nearly as much last quarter as State Sen. Eric Fingerhut, who challenged GOP Sen. George Voinovich in 2004, raised in his entire campaign. Mr. Brown alone has already out-raised Mr. DeWine’s last Democratic opponent, Ted Celeste.

Nevertheless, Mr. DeWine ended the quarter with almost $2 million more to spend than Mr. Brown and $4 million more than Mr. Hackett. Analysts predicted yesterday that Mr. DeWine’s lead will likely grow through the May primary election, which is shaping up as a fierce and expensive battle for the Democrats.

Read more

Cleveland Plain Dealer: DeWine Coffers Far Ahead of Democrat Challengers’

By Stephen Koff

Money doesn’t always determine the winner, but it gives Sen. Mike DeWine a big advantage 10 months before voters decide whether to keep him or oust him.

The Ohio Republican raised nearly $1 million for his re-election campaign in the last quarter of 2005, new campaign finance records show, giving him a treasury of $4.3 million and nearly a year to raise more.

The two Democrats vying in the May primary to oppose DeWine not only trail the incumbent, but one of them, U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, commands a treasury 10 times the size of his competitor, attorney and Marine reservist Paul Hackett.

Read more

Ohio: DeWine Easily Outpacing Democratic Hopefuls In Fundraising

The Frontrunner

The AP (1/31, Hammer) reports, “The two Democrats hoping to challenge Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine in November touted their fundraising totals Monday for the last quarter of 2005, even though their combined receipts couldn’t match the Republican incumbent’s. DeWine raised $978,505 from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.” OH13 Rep. Sherrod Brown (D) “brought in $496,882 in the three-month period,” while “his rival for the May primary, Paul Hackett…raised $465,779. … ‘We’re extremely confident about our numbers,’ said Ben Wikler, Brown’s campaign press secretary. ‘The fact that 79 percent of our donors are individuals from Ohio speaks to the overwhelming in-state support for Sherrod.’ The comment was meant to call attention to Hackett’s national Internet fundraising effort, which has brought help from as far as San Francisco. But Hackett campaign spokesman Karl Frisch noted that 8,675 different people donated an average of $51 to the newcomer’s campaign, indicating an ability to gather voters.” DeWine “reported $4.3 million cash on-hand at the end of the year. Brown had $2.37 million, and Hackett had slightly less than $230,000.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (1/31, Koff, 375K) notes that Frisch “conceded that Brown probably will outspend Hackett. But he said, ‘This shows that we will raise enough money to be competitive in this race.’ Both Democrats will have to spend more as the May primary nears. DeWine has only token primary opposition, putting him in a position to grow an even greater financial edge before he starts to spend heavily on the campaign. ‘We’re in a very strong position to begin our 2006 re-election effort,’ DeWine campaign spokesman Brian Seitchik said.”

Read more

January 31, 2006 | Filed Under Hackett, News Mentions | Comment 

Next Page →