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Steele joins Hackett in resigning after bribery charges BY DEBORAH HOWLETT AND JONATHAN CASIANO Star-Ledger Staff Assemblyman Alfred Steele, one of 11 public officials arrested last week in a federal corruption sting, has told Democratic leaders he will resign his seat tomorrow, becoming the second state legislator to step down in the wake of the bribery scandal. Steele's decision, announced yesterday afternoon by a Passaic County Democratic spokeswoman, came a day after his Assembly colleague, Mims Hackett Jr. (D-Essex), announced he was leaving his post and the same day Gov. Jon Corzine pledged to introduce a new package of ethics...

John Kasich is filling in for O'Reilly and has Dan Senor in studio and former marine, Iraq War vet, and failed Democratic candidate Paul Hackett on via satellite. After asking Dan about pulling out early from Iraq ("redeployment" in Dem-speak), and listening to Dan's very benign opinion, John goes to Hackett who immediately launches into an unprovoked name-calling/smearing of Dan Senor! This guy wanted to be a Congressman? Unbeleivable!

Paul Hackett, the nutroots guy. Ends up in a position where he has to defend the Military against the nutroot's current hero.

... Snow said that he has been assured by the Pentagon that "all the details" will be made available... Rep. John Murtha... has said Marines shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot others. On Tuesday, [Snow] said President Bush learned of the killings only after a reporter from Time magazine asked questions... Asked when Bush was first briefed about the events in Haditha, an insurgent stronghold in western Iraq, Snow replied Tuesday: "When a Time reporter first made the call." According to the attorney for one of three Marine...

Washington - Former U.S. Senate candidate Paul Hackett on Monday accused Rep. Sherrod Brown of spreading "preposterous" rumors that he mishandled body parts while serving in Iraq. Hackett, an Iraq war veteran who withdrew last week from a primary fight against Brown for the Democratic Senate nomination, said in an interview on MSNBC's Hardball program that he had heard repeatedly from Democratic officials in Ohio that Brown was behind a whisper campaign about his war record. "The word came to me from many Democratic chairs in the state of Ohio that my primary opponent was spreading rumors about my service...

How the mighty have fallen. Until recently, Paul Hackett, was a HERO to the DUmmies. He was the KEY to their expected victories at the ballot box this November. All that has changed. Paul Hackett is now the LIVING SYMBOL of the impending leftist implosion as you can see in this DUmmie THREAD titled, "Paul Hackett: Thanks For Nothing." Rather than being a PLUS, Paul Hackett is now a NEGATIVE. Not only has he ensured that the Ohio senate seat remains in GOP hands, the demoralizing effect he is having is sure to spread to other races just as...

Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown voted to cut intelligence funding more than a dozen times before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a record that Paul Hackett's campaign advisers called proof that Mr. Brown could not win in November. A consultant hired by Mr. Hackett, Mr. Brown's onetime Democratic opponent for Senate, estimated the funding cuts would have totaled billions of dollars if enacted. None were. The consultant called Mr. Brown's votes on those proposals and a dozen more recent national security issues "toxic in today's political environment," according to campaign research documents obtained by The Blade. Mr....

by Mark Finkelstein February 20, 2006 In recent days, Rush Limbaugh has focused attention on the sharp-elbowed way in which the Democratic leadership forced former Marine major Paul Hackett out of the race for U.S. senator from Ohio, installing Cong. Sherrod Brown in his place. On tonight's Hardball, Chris Matthews offered an interesting theory: that Hackett's controversial statements, particularly his unsubstantiated allegations of past cocaine use by President Bush, became too hard for the Dem leadership to defend. In a set-up piece, MSNBC's David Shuster reported that "Hackett's style began creating waves. On [a past edition of] Hardball, he stood...

Democratic Senate candidate and Marine Corps Major Paul Hackett is accustomed to waging quixotic battles and taking his hits. He just didn’t expect the lowest—and fatal—blows to come from his own party. In an announcement that stunned many in Washington and even some in his campaign staff, Hackett declared on February 13, 2006, that he was dropping his bid for U.S. Senate in Ohio, ending his 11 month political career. “I made this decision reluctantly, only after repeated requests by party leaders, as well as behind-the-scenes machinations, that were intended to hurt my campaign,” he said, only hinting at what...

February 18, 2006--The story of Paul Hackett's withdrawal from the U.S. Senate race in Ohio was a major event in the blogosphere and among political activists. But, just 18% of Ohio voters followed the story very closely. Another 22% said they followed it somewhat closely while 23% said they didn't follow the news on this topic at all. Overall, 29% of the state's voters agree with Hackett and say he was betrayed by party leaders. Fifteen percent (15%) say he was not, but a majority of voters (55%) have no opinion on the topic. Among Democrats, 31% say he was...

Following Hackett's withdrawal, Republican Senator Mike DeWine has gained ground in his campaign for re-election. DeWine now leads Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown by nine percentage points, 46% to 37% (

<p>Backroom Battles News: Economic sabotage, whisper campaigns, and threats: How the Democrats took Paul Hackett out.</p> <p>The Ohio Insurgency Major Paul Hackett came home from Iraq to launch an assault on a GOP stronghold. Can Democrats follow his lead?</p> <p>Elite Exposed ! Learn what they have been doing!</p>

Three days after Paul Hackett dropped out of the Ohio Senate race, and one day after MotherJones.com ran a story reporting that the candidate was pushed out by fellow Democrats, the blogosphere was buzzing with rumor and speculation. Even as Sherrod Brown’s camp repeated their denial of any involvement in undermining Hackett’s campaign, more than a few bloggers wondered where the unfounded, unsourced rumors questioning Hackett’s military service--and more--came from, and what role, if any, they played in sinking his candidacy. A post today on the pro-Hackett Buckeyesenateblog said, “There is only one campaign that stood to benefit from this,...

Iraqi veteran Paul Hackett, an anti-war Democrat, and reality met a bitter end this week in Ohio. After receiving every indication that he would get little support in his bid for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, Hackett dropped from the race, leaving Congressman Sherrod Brown as the likely nominee to challenge Republican incumbent Mike DeWine. Party leaders attempted to “persuade” Hackett to instead run a rematch for the House seat he narrowly lost in a special election last year. Although party leaders claimed it was an attempt to place as many competitive races on the ballot as possible,...

Get the scene. A veteran Marine candidate who is wildly popular among the DUmmies gets ready to launch a senatorial campaign after being given assurances of support from the bigwig Democrats. But then a vicious whispering campaign begins accusing this candidate of committing war crimes in Iraq. So who were the devious perpetrators of this dastardly deed? It must be the the EVIL Republicans, right? Wrong. It turns out that it was the Democrats themselves. Surely this MUST be some sort of rightwing disinformation campaign to DEMORALIZE the supporters of Ohio senatorial candidate Paul Hackett? Wrong again. The SOURCE...

  A Weblog by The Plain Dealer Politics Staff Friday, February 17, 2006Was Hackett Swift-boated? Shortly after Paul Hackett announced the end of his Senate Democratic primary fight against Rep. Sherrod Brown, The Plain Dealer asked the Iraq war veteran if one factor in his decision was a rumor that circulated in Democratic circles during the campaign that photos existed showing he committed war crimes in Iraq. Hackett acknowledged hearing rumors that he had committed war crimes dating back to the day he first announced his candidacy in October. He called the rumors an "absolute falsehood and lie" and...

Posted on Fri, Feb. 17, 2006 Limbaugh makes error about Brown's race Associated Press WASHINGTON - Brown is black in the eyes of Rush Limbaugh. When Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett was forced out of the Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race in Ohio, the conservative commentator criticized The New York Times for not saying that the Democrats' preferred candidate is black. Limbaugh later found out from e-mails to his nationally syndicated radio show that the candidate, Rep. Sherrod Brown, is, in fact, white. "Uh, Sherrod Brown's a white guy? Then I'm confusing him with somebody. OK, I'm sorry,"...

Democratic Senate candidate and Marine Corps Major Paul Hackett is accustomed to waging quixotic battles and taking his hits. He just didn’t expect the lowest—and fatal—blows to come from his own party. In an announcement that stunned many in Washington and even some in his campaign staff, Hackett declared on February 13, 2006, that he was dropping his bid for U.S. Senate in Ohio, ending his 11 month political career. “I made this decision reluctantly, only after repeated requests by party leaders, as well as behind-the-scenes machinations, that were intended to hurt my campaign,” he said, only hinting at what...

Up and coming Democratic Party star Paul Hackett withdrew from the Ohio Senate race last week, saying "my own party is afraid to support candidates like me." The Iraq war veteran meant that party officials feared backing a principled liberal like himself. But Dems may have had another reason for pulling the plug on Hackett: his tendency to level outrageous charges without a shred of evidence to back them up. WMAL Washington, D.C. radio host Steve Malzberg aired quotes from Hackett on Wednesday, where he repeatedly accused President Bush of using drugs. Last November, Hackett began by telling Gentleman's Quarterly...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Paul Hackett's angry decision to withdraw from the Senate race in Ohio is a devastating blow for the Democratic Party and may even have profound long-term repercussions on American politics. It opens the door to the very real possibility that opposition to the war, and to any possible conflict with Iran, will focus on a new Third Party populist movement that could reach the scale of the H. Ross Perot movement in the 1990s but be far more passionate. And that could cripple the Democrats' hopes, and even expectations of regaining the White House in...

One of the biggest DUmmie political heroes has been Paul Hackett who in his Ohio Congressional race last year went to leftist extremes nationally in his bid nationally. Of course, locally, Hackett pretended that he was practically had the endorsement of George W. Bush. Nevertheless, he earned the proper leftist credentials to earn the support of the DUmmies in his bid for the Senate from Ohio. So what happened? He was FORCED out of the race by the Democrat leaders thus causing gthe DUmmies to go BERSERK as you can see in this THREAD titled, "Democratic Party? F*ck you bastards....

NEW YORK - 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.

Democrats Dump Iraq War Veteran Candidate for Senate By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Senior Editor February 14, 2006 (CNSNews.com) - Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran hailed as a rising Democratic star by party leaders last summer, has dropped out of the race for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, and he's not happy about it. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Sens. Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid forced Hackett to step aside so Rep. Sherrod Brown could run against incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine. Schumer and Reid are the same Democrats who persuaded Hackett to run last August, Hackett said....

Sens. Schumer, Reid Dump Iraq War Vet Candidate Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and vociferous critic of President George W. Bush, announced Monday that he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the Democratic nomination to the United States Senate from Ohio. Hackett told the New York Times that Senators Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., pushed him aside for Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Hackett was facing Brown in the Democratic primary for the right to take on Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine. "I made this decision reluctantly,” he said in a statement, "only after repeated requests from...

Hackett Drops Senate Bid, Takes Democrats To Task Veteran Calls Party Moves 'Betrayal' POSTED: 6:35 am EST February 14, 2006 UPDATED: 7:01 am EST February 14, 2006 Email This Story | Print This Story CINCINNATI -- Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, who gained popularity for his staunch criticism of President George W. Bush, has dropped out of the Democratic race for U.S. Senate in Ohio, according to a published report. Hackett told The New York Times for Tuesday's editions that the same party leaders who urged him to run for Senate after his sensational political debut in a House race...

Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and popular Democratic candidate in Ohio's closely watched Senate contest, said yesterday that he was dropping out of the race and leaving politics altogether as a result of pressure from party leaders. Mr. Hackett said Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York and Harry Reid of Nevada, the same party leaders who he said persuaded him last August to enter the Senate race, had pushed him to step aside so that Representative Sherrod Brown, a longtime member of Congress, could take on Senator Mike DeWine, the Republican incumbent. Mr. Hackett staged a surprisingly strong...

Eric Fingerhut is canceling his quixotic bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against the anointed candidate, Ted Strickland. Also, Paul Hackett (D-Barking Moonbatville) cancelled his appearance on Hardboiled with Chris Matthews, fueling speculation that he will drop his primary challenge to Sherrod "Stalin" Brown and instead take another crack at the congressional seat now held by Jean Schmidt. This sets up a Brown v. DeWine race in the fall. DeWine is probably grateful because if Hackett had been his opponent, Hackett may have gotten NRA support. Look for the NRA to stay neutral on this one. Source for the (drop...

National Democrats are turning up the pressure on Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, openly asking him to leave his campaign for U.S. Senate and take a second shot at a Cincinnati-area House seat that he nearly won last summer. Democrats have privately suggested for some time that Hackett, who has a national Internet following but faces the more experienced Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in a Senate primary, would be better off running again for the House seat held by GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt. Democrats acknowledge their chances of winning a district that voted 64 percent for President Bush in 2004...

U.S. Senate candidate visits Tiffin restaurant By Kendall S. Cable A dark blue tour bus donned with stars and stripes and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Paul Hackett's name on the side rolled down Sandusky Street and parked in front of Mary and John's Hamburg Shop 11:15 a.m. Friday. Entering the restaurant with his senior campaign adviser, Michael Brautigam, and Ohio Democratic Party Northwest Ohio Field Coordinator Steve Chaffin, Hackett made his way to a table of patrons closest to the entryway. Hackett introduced himself and his personal history, explaining he was born in Cleveland, resides in Cincinnati, graduated from the...

***Full length version of the 2 hour debate video links are below *** For years, the issue of immigration was little more than a murmur. But now, many people are clamoring for change. Americans are increasingly saying we've come to a fork in the road -- a time to rethink how we define ourselves as a nation. To advance the immigration debate, 9NEWS gathered together activists and politicians representing a wide range of views on this subject. We have streamed the entire two-hour town meeting held Saturday, Jan. 7 at the University of Denver's Gates Concert Hall. Our panelists: Rep....

Candidate’s remark rattles Democrats Senate contender Hackett stands by call in Toledo to deport illegal immigrants Paul Hackett By JIM TANKERSLEY BLADE POLITICS WRITER U.S. Senate candidate Paul Hackett told a Toledo crowd this week that he’d deport all illegal immigrants if the national budget permitted, stirring another controversy over his candor — this time among Democrats. Several local Democrats said they disagreed sharply with Mr. Hackett’s statements, made Wednesday night to a group at the University of Toledo. Nearly all of them also praised the attorney and Iraq war veteran for what they called an honest — and often...

(snip) "The Republican Party has been hijacked by the religious fanatics that, in my opinion, aren’t a whole lot different than Osama bin Laden and a lot of the other religious nuts around the world," he said. "The challenge is for the rest of us moderate Americans and citizens of the world to put down the fork and spoon, turn off the TV, and participate in the process and try to push back on these radical nuts – and they are nuts." So much for gobbledygook. Joe Hallett is senior editor at The Dispatch.

Remember Paul Hackett? He's the failed candidate for Congress who, according to lefties, somehow won because he lost against a not very good Republican candidate. Well, Paul is running for the United States Senate now. Hackett has been in Washington lately. I've now been told by several people that Hackett had a meltdown in Washington today that will pretty much assure the implosion of his campaign. Hackett had a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and proceeded to berate Reid for Reid's kind words about Harriet Miers. According to some who were there, Hackett flew off the handle and...

WASHINGTON - 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. Spokesman David Woodruff, who served as Hackett's campaign manager in his special election campaign for the 2nd District House seat against Jean Schmidt, confirmed Hackett's run Monday evening. Hackett had spent the last month hinting at a run against Ohio's senior senator, who is in his second six-year term. Hackett was flying back Monday evening from Washington after meeting with Senate...

Paul Hackett, the charismatic Iraq War veteran who became an overnight sensation in Democratic circles this summer when he nearly won a special election for Congress in one of Ohio's most Republican districts, has all but decided to take on DeWine, sources in Washington and Ohio say.

The other day an official with a British teachers' union proposed that the concept of "failing" exams should be abolished. Instead of being given a "failing" grade, she said, the pupil would instead be given a "deferred success." Oh, sure, you can scoff. But evidently the system's already being test-piloted in Howard Dean's Democratic Party. That's why the Dems' Congressional Campaign Committee hailed their electoral failure in last week's Ohio special election as a triumphant "deferred success." As their press release put it: "In nearly the biggest political upset in recent history, Democrat Paul Hackett came within just a few...

One of the major suprises of this past election was the strength of Paul Hackett in the eastern rural counties of Scioto, Adams, Pike and Brown. Conveniently, Brown has a website with numbers and past election results. Some interesting factoids about Brown County Ohio: Registered Democrats 4,612 Registered Republicans 3,763 Bet you didn’t know that. November 2004 Bush: 12,647 votes, about 65% Kerry: 7,140 votes, or about 35% June 14th 2nd district primary: Republicans received 2,287 votes, of which Jean only received 392 specifically Democrats received 1,217 of which Hackett received 762. August 2nd general election turnout doubled to about...

Gov. Taft and State GOP Woes, Not Iraq, Made Ohio a Tight Race by John Gizzi Human Events Online To believe the national media, the election for the open U.S. House seat in Ohio's 2nd District on Tuesday was nearly won by a Democrat because of mounting opposition to the U.S. presence in Iraq. Republican Jean Schmidt, former state legislator, barely clung to the most Republican congressional district in the Buckeye State by a margin of 4,000 votes, or 52% to 48%, over Democrat and Marine reserve officer Paul Hackett. In a race that drew national attention because of Hackett's...

Progressive_Conscience (1,000+ posts) Has everyone heard the results of the Hackett race? I'm so excited!!! Young_Anarchist (548 posts) Paul Hackett won? That's great! Progressive_Conscience (1,000+ posts) No, he lost, but he only lost by 4%! You know what this means for 2006, don't you? Young_Anarchist (548 posts) That we're going to lose in 2006? Progressive_Conscience (1,000+ posts) No, you idiot! It means we're going to win, and we're going to win big! Regime_ChangeUSA (1,000+ posts) Man, I bet the rethugs are sh*tting bricks right now! Kucinich4Pres (875 posts) It's like Christmas came early! Regime_ChangeUSA (1,000+ posts) Great. Why not just...

Failed Ohio Democratic congressional candidate Paul Hackett spent part of the day of the special election resting at home and attended a Bruce Springsteen concert election eve rather than pounding the pavement for last minute votes reports Michael Crowley in The New Republic.In contrast, Hackett's opponent, Republican Jean Schmidt, made the rounds encouraging voters to support her in the election to replace Republican Rob Portman, who was appointed by President Bush to be U.S. Trade Representative.Hackett, who appeared to have been trying to emulate Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry's losing presidential campaign by constantly reminding people that he had served...

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich warned fellow Republicans to pay special heed to the GOP’s narrow victory in the August 2 special election in Ohio. Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and critic of President Bush’s Iraq policy, came just 3,573 votes short of upsetting Republican Jean Schmidt in a solidly GOP congressional district in southwestern Ohio, according to unofficial returns. The two competed to fill the vacancy created when Republican Rep. Bob Portman resigned to become U.S. trade representative. Schmidt had been heavily favored in a district that has been in Republican hands for nearly 40 years, the...

On Tuesday night a Democrat running in a Republican district nearly became the first Iraq-war veteran elected to Congress. The two traded leads throughout the evening in a surprisingly close finish. In the end, heavily favored Republican Jean Schmidt edged out Democrat Paul Hackett by a narrow margin of 52 to 48 percent. Schmidt finally pulled away as the votes were tabulated by hand in her home county after severe humidity prevented them from being counted by machine. Liberal activists, particularly bloggers, did the heavy lifting for their candidate who only last week referred to President Bush as a "son-of-a-bitch."...

Paul Hackett added his voice to the chorus of Democrats claiming his Tuesday night election loss in Ohio is a barometer for improved Democrat electoral prospects in 2006. In an email to supporters through the Democracy for America website founded by Howard Dean, Hackett wrote: We have the power to win back Congress. Yesterday proved it. Yesterday, one of the reddest regions in America turned a whole lot bluer.

Dear Chuck, Your mandate to fight everywhere had its first test last night. Marine Major Paul Hackett ran for Congress in a special election in the most Republican district in Ohio. Republicans vowed to "bury" him, pundits wrote him off, and the conventional wisdom asked why Democrats would even bother to put up a fight. But then something happened. With the infrastructure of local organizers we're building in Ohio and every other state, the most Republican district in Ohio became the most competitive district in Ohio -- a district where Bush won in 2004 by a margin of two to...

Following is House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's statement on the special election in Ohio's second congressional district: "Paul Hackett is a war hero who campaigned with the same dignity and honor that he served our country. Paul ran an excellent campaign and made what should have been an easy Republican win a tough contested race. "The issues, political, and ethics environment are good for Democrats and Paul Hackett's campaign in a Republican district proves it. "Republicans are on notice -- Americans are demanding a change. Americans will no longer tolerate the Republicans' continued abuses of power and catering to corporate...

Kevin Hackett, Democrat candidate for Congress in Ohio’s Second Congressional District wildly over-performed in his attempt to win yesterday’s special election against Republican Jean Schmidt. Hackett earned 48% of the vote in this heavily Republican district, which George W. Bush won in 2000 with 63% and in which he performed even stronger in 2004. Lefty blogs – who helped fuel Hackett’s coffers with small dollar donations – are celebrating another “almost win.” And, of course, they are again playing the victim card. Here’s John Nichols blogging for The Nation: Remarkably, in a district that favored George W. Bush over John...

The DUmmies are complaining about an election stolen in Ohio. No, I’m not talking about the Presidential election results in Ohio of last November. I am referring to the congressional election last night of a Republican from a heavily Republican district. Therefore it is NO surprise that Republican Jean Schmidt won over Democrat (although he pretended he wasn’t) Paul Hackett. However, I knew for at least a week that I would be doing a DUmmie FUnnies edition the morning following the election about outraged DUmmies claiming vote fraud AGAIN in Ohio as you can see in this THREAD titled,...

Democrats on Wednesday celebrated a closer-than-expected loss in a special House of Representatives race in Ohio and called it a warning sign for Republicans entering the 2006 congressional elections. But Republicans cautioned against reading too much into Jean Schmidt's narrow win over Democrat and Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, saying low turnout and local issues made the race unique and kept it from being a bellwether on Republican leadership or President Bush. Schmidt, a former state representative, beat Hackett by 3,500 votes out of more than 112,000 cast in the conservative and heavily Republican district, where no Democrat in decades...

Dems Brand Ohio Loss as ‘Shockwave of Voter Discontent’ By Randy Hall CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor August 03, 2005 (CNSNews.com) - Even though Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett lost Tuesday's special congressional election to GOP candidate Jean Schmidt 52 to 48 percent, Democratic leaders were delighted with the results, calling their Ohio loss "a shockwave of voter discontent." A Republican spokesman had a brief response: "We won." "This election is a shockwave of voter discontent that will be felt all across the country," said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel in a press release. "Every Republican in Congress should consider...

Iraq War Veteran in Ohio Sought Open House Seat CINCINNATI, Aug. 2 -- A Republican former state lawmaker claimed a seat in Congress on Tuesday by narrowly defeating a veteran of the Iraq war who drew national attention to the race with his military service and harsh criticism of President Bush.With all precincts reporting, Jean Schmidt had 52 percent, or 57,974 votes, compared with Democrat Paul Hackett's 48 percent, or 54,401 votes. Schmidt's margin of victory was 3,573 votes out of 112,375 cast.