Ohio's Paul Hackett to leave politics altogether?

A disheartening piece of news from Ohio, a state that shouldn't be having any issues with pitting strong Democratic candidates against the corrupt GOP establishment.

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 SenatorsCharles 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 Congressional run last year in an overwhelmingly Republican district and gained national prominence for his scathing criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq War. It was his performance in the Congressional race that led party leaders to recruit him for the Senate race.

But for the last two weeks, he said, state and national Democratic Party leaders have urged him to drop his Senate campaign and again run for Congress.

"This is an extremely disappointing decision that I feel has been forced on me," said Mr. Hackett, whose announcement comes two days before the state's filing deadline for candidates. He said he was outraged to learn that party leaders were calling his donors and asking them to stop giving and said he would not enter the Second District Congressional race.

"For me, this is a second betrayal," Mr. Hackett said. "First, my government misused and mismanaged the military in Iraq, and now my own party is afraid to support candidates like me."

I'm not in a position to talk about Hackett's chances in the Senate race, but he certainly showed himself to be a contender in last year's House race. The last piece of news I'd heard was that he was being encouraged to run again for his Congressional district. But I can say that the party establishment needs to stop dissuading rough and ready Dems from trying to take down the GOP. If Hackett can be convinced to run for the House again, I'm all for it. He's managed to become a national figure, and things are only getting worse for Republicans in Ohio. I'd suggest dropping him a line and voicing your support.