Posted August 3, 2005 12:00 p.m.
Hackett’s Historic Run
Narrow Victory Scares Republicans, Energizes Democrats
Washington. DC - August 3, 2005
Iraq war veteran and Democratic candidate Paul Hackett forced a nail-biting conclusion to the special election campaign in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.
With TV and radio ads directed by julianmulvey.com, Hackett won 48 percent of the vote in the most Republican congressional district in Ohio, a result hailed by Roll Call as “a feat of historic proportion.”
julianmulvey.com produced three television spots for the Hackett campaign and four radio ads. The ads generated attention in the district and nationwide by juxtaposing a clip of President Bush on the importance of military service with Major Hackett’s thoughts on the same issue. Featured in over 100 newspaper articles and on national news programs including ABC’s World News Tonight and MSNBC’s Hardball, the ads were lauded by Dan Balz of The Washington Post as “very effective.”
“Paul is a spectacular candidate, and his strong showing in Tuesday’s election shows that there are no safe Republican districts,” said Julian Mulvey. “The ads also demonstrate the power of talking to viewers, rather than shouting at them.”
Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District includes parts of seven counties in southwestern Ohio. Its center of gravity lies in the suburbs of Cincinnati, the only million-plus metro area that George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole carried 1992 and 1996. Just nine months ago Republican Rob Portman won the seat with 72 percent of the vote while George Bush received 64 percent of the district’s Presidential ballots. No Democratic Congressional candidate has received more than 40 percent of the vote in the district in over two decades.
Despite this Republican dominance, Hackett’s remarkable campaign forced the National Republican Congressional Committee to spend $500,000 on negative ads in the last days of the race.
julianmulvey.com would like to congratulate Paul Hackett and his entire campaign staff on running a stunning campaign and wish Major Hackett the best of luck in his future endeavors.
julianmulvey.com is a Democratic media consulting firm based in Washington, DC. The firm won the 2005 Gold Pollie for best Congressional TV spot. Julian Mulvey was listed as one of Washington’s “people to watch in 2005” by Washingtonian Magazine.