Hackett drops out of Senate race

Paul Hackett has announced that he is dropping his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate seat from Ohio and he isn't happy about being pushed out of the race.

Saying he felt betrayed by his own party, Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett said he has relunctantly dropped out of the Ohio race for U.S. Senate under pressure from Democratic leaders. Hackett told The New York Times that the same Democratic leaders who urged him to run for the Senate after his sensational political debut in last year's House race had turned on him.

While he is within his rights to be upset, this is a tactical victory for the Democrats. Avoiding a contested primary allows their nominee to concentrate on the general election. The decision on which candidate to support was actually a pretty easy call. While Hackett may have some very fervent followers, Rep. Sherrod Brown has raised a lot more money. Beyond the differences in funds raised by the two men is the fact that Hackett has demonstrated that he doesn't have the necessary maturity to play on the big stage. Hackett said he is now done with politics. I hope he means it, we have enough lawyers screwing things up in DC as it is.