http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/7/29/124455/730Hackett Campaign Already a Success
by Chris Bowers
As you probably already know, a Republican poll currently shows Paul Hackett with the margin of error in the special election in OH-02. Rest assured, this poll is real. I have sources high up inside both the Democratic and Republican parties who have seen it.
Considering that Schmidt claims an old poll showed her winning by 17%, the momentum is undeniably in favor of Paul Hackett. It is now a real possibility that he could actually win.However, while it is a possibility that he could win, keep in mind that Schmidt remains the favorite. The poll showed Hackett within the MoE--it didn't show him ahead. Republicans will also be dumping huge sums of cash into the district this weekend, in an ad buy, direct mailing and robo-call frenzy that will easily surpass Hackett's final efforts, despite the $350K+ we have raised for him (here and here). Also, in the special election last month, even though he was the top Democratic finisher, Hackett only finished fourth overall (though he did defeat Pat DeWine-haha). In other words,
Schmidt is probably still a touch ahead in the polls, has a lot more money being spent on her behalf, and in a low turnout election will have the support of many die-hard Republican voters. While the mo' is clearly in Hackett's favor and he has made up a lot of ground, Schmidt remains the favorite.
The real change is that she is no longer a lock.However, even if Hackett loses, keep in mind that this campaign was already a success. It is going to be a lot closer than anyone thought it was going to be, and it has made real inroads into a deep red corner of Ohio. In the extended entry, I explain why. We should be proud of what we have accomplished here, and keep in mind that there are some people in our own party who believe that we have been wasting our time. Most importantly, we should hold Paul Hackett, a regular guy with a lot of guts who stands for what you and I stand for, in very high regard. Quite frankly, the whole things reminds me of the Dean campaign, and of working with Ginny Schrader last year, and not just because of Blogosphere Day. They have been my own inspiration to run for office. We need more people like them.
Democrats :: Fri Jul 29th, 2005 at 12:44:55 PM EDT