Paul Hackett, “the Iraq War veteran from Cincinnati who was hailed by national Democrats for his narrow loss this summer in a heavily Republican House district, has decided to challenge Mike DeWine for U.S. Senate in 2006,” reports the A.P. via Yahoo.
Hackett flew home Monday evening “from Washington after meeting with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee,” said spokesman David Woodruff, “who served as Hackett’s campaign manager in his special election campaign for the 2nd District House seat against Jean Schmidt. …”
A WSJ poll, according to Swing State Project, shows:
Hackett (D) 44
DeWine (R) 36
From Kos at 12:20 pm:
Incumben Sen. DeWine is myred with low reelect numbers while the Ohio Republican Party implodes around him. Bush is at 37 percent in the state. Governor Bob Taft is at 17 percent. Partisan polls showed Sherrod Brown making a competitive race. That weird (and frankly questionable) internet poll by Zogby yesterday had Hackett handily beating DeWine. So who will DeWine face?
Guess we know now. In August, Chris Bowers wrote:
I like Tim Ryan … he would have an excellent chance … DeWine is arguably the most vulnerable Republican up for re-election … and things only continue to get worse.
However, there is another candidate … who would start with huge support from the netroots, who has already proven he can win votes in areas where most Democrats fear to tread, who will be exactly the sort of truth teller Democrats need … whose position as an Iraq war vet could aid a national Democratic tidal wave in 2006. … Marine Corps Major Paul Hackett.
This map of Hackett’s donors shows that he already has a national movement behind him: … See the map and read more.