OH-02: Why we contest every single seat

Bowers:

Looking back on that election now, it really was a good idea to get involved, even if most of us thought Hackett would get pasted. A couple of hours ago, Survey USA released the results of a new poll in OH-02, showing incumbent Jean Schmidt only narrowly ahead of Victoria Wulsin, 45-42. Not only is that a statistical dead heat, it is actually one point closer than the final margin in OH-02 last summer. I have to believe that one of the main reasons that OH-02 is honestly close in 2006 is because the netroots threw so much into it in 2005. We helped bring an anti-Bush message into OH-02, and it is sticking. We helped bring new activist excitement into OH-02, and it is sticking. We helped reveal to voters in OH-02 that Jean Schmidt is an empty suit, and that message is sticking. We helped voters grow used to voting against Jean Schmidt, and now she is the first choice of probably only around 25-30% of the voters in the district. Because we helped Paul Hackett and local Dems make a stand in OH-02, we are still competitive in a district where we should just flat out not be competitive.

Without Hackett, OH-02 would not be competitive. That's why we must contest every seat. Hackett, by being an unapologetic Democrat, showed the people of a 63-percent Bush district that Democrats weren't wimps, they weren't weak, and actually stood for important American values like opportunity and fairness.

He excited locals, got them engaged, helped build the progressive infrastructure that is paying dividends to Vic Wulsin today. The usual suspect chortled when Hackett lost. But this isn't a one-, or two-, or five-year battle. This is a long-term project. We helped changed the face of that district in a single two-month race. Wulsin is a doctor and health advocate -- a great bio but not the sort of background that would've given her political advantages (such as name ID, money, and an established network of supporters). But, having built a great machine in the district last year, she was able to tap into it and make this a serious race when most people (including me) where too quick to write it off.

This is the first time I've felt the "long-term" effects of what we're all building and it's given me a jolt of extra motivation (not that I needed it). This is how we'll move our country forward, turning safe Red districts into "lean" Red districts into "toss-up" districts and, eventually, into Blue.

We'll leave no district behind, because no district is hopeless. The only thing hopeless is the "leadership" that politically abandoned so much of our great country for so long.

On the web: Vic Wulsin for Congress

Race tracker wiki: OH-02