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Wednesday, August 16, 2006

OH-03: Dem Candidate Drops Out; Could Hackett Jump In?

Posted by DavidNYC

Stephanie Studebaker, the Democratic candidate in OH-03, has formally withdrawn from the race after being arrested on domestic violence charges. The Buckeye State Blog does an extensive roundup on who might replace her. The most intriguing name at the top of the list: One Paul Hackett.

This southwestern Ohio district is R+2.9 - in other words, far less Republican than neighboring OH-02 (R+13.1). If Hackett jumped in, he'd make the race instantly competitive. All the Hackettistas still carrying a torch for him would give him an instant cash infusion, and I think Rahm Emanuel - who wanted Hackett to challenge Jean Schmidt again - might be interested in getting involved as well.

I think this idea is a lot less crazy than it would have been earlier in the year. If you'll recall, around a month ago, Hackett finally endorsed Sherrod Brown. So maybe he's more interested in being a team player now. And if he jumped in in OH-03, he wouldn't be going back on any promises not to push other candidates out of the race, since right now there is no Democratic candidate.

Can Hackett fans convince their man to get back into the ring? We'll see.

Posted at 01:55 PM in 2006 Elections - House, Ohio | Technorati

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Comments

The answer will probably, among other things, hinge on assuring Hackett a good supply of fundraising. As of now, he's still dealing with a personal debt that's lingering over from his aborted Senate bid. He's routinely mentioned this when people have asked him if he's going to run again.

Posted by: James L. at August 16, 2006 02:12 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

That debt, if I recall correctly, is somewhere around the $60,000 level.

Posted by: James L. at August 16, 2006 02:14 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

Hackett's already told the Dayton paper he won't run in that district. All may not be lost, though.

There's an interesting discussion on BuckeyeState Blog about other possible candidates.
The discussants are local, and they don't seem to be writing it off.

http://www.buckeyestateblog.com/node/2379

Posted by: Christopher Walker at August 16, 2006 02:36 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

Sigh. Typical Paul Hackett it seems. Can't even leave the door open for himself. He said:

Hackett, reached by phone, expressed shock at the news, and said his running in the district "makes no sense" because he does not live there.

So even if he changes his mind, the GOPer would just run ads quoting Hackett saying his own run "makes no sense."

Posted by: DavidNYC at August 16, 2006 02:39 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment