Other Iraq vets running
WASHINGTON - Tim Walz has never met either of the two candidates in today’s special election in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.
But when the election returns start rolling in, Walz will be watching from his home in Minnesota to see whether Democrat Paul Hackett pulls off an upset of Republican Jean Schmidt.
Like Hackett, Walz is running for Congress in a Republican-leaning district. And, like Hackett, Walz is a veteran of the war in Iraq.
“I hope I have a new friend there (in Congress),” Walz said. If Hackett wins, “I think it would bode well for me.”
A special congressional election in the middle of the summer isn’t usually the kind of thing that grabs national media attention.
But Hackett’s military credentials - he is a Marine reservist who completed a tour of duty in Iraq in March - and his blunt criticism of the way the Bush administration has handled the war have thrust the race onto the national stage.
In the closing weeks of the campaign, Hackett has been trailed by national television crews and appeared in the pages of the New York Times and USA Today.
If he wins, he will become the first member of Congress to have served in the war in Iraq, which helps explain why he is a curiosity to the national press.
But Hackett isn’t the only veteran of the war who is running for Congress.
At least four other Iraq war veterans have either filed candidacy papers or announced their intentions to run for Congress, according to national Republican and Democrat leaders in Washington.
Besides Hackett, other Democrats running include:
Walz, a high school teacher and 23-year National Guard veteran who served for nine months at a military base in Italy as part of the Iraq war effort. Walz is running for the Minnesota congressional seat now held by Republican Gil Gutknecht.
Patrick Murphy, a former Army captain who earned a Bronze Star in Iraq in February 2004. Murphy is running for a Pennsylvania congressional seat now held by Republican Michael Fitzpatrick.
David Ashe, a Virginia Beach attorney and Marine reservist who served several months in Iraq in 2003. Ashe is running for the congressional seat now held by Republican Thelma D. Drake.
On the Republican side, Van Taylor, a former Marine captain and decorated veteran of the war in Iraq, is considering a run against Texas Rep. Chet Edwards, a Democrat
Of the four, Hackett’s candidacy is getting the most national attention now because voters will go to the polls today in his race. Elections in which the other veterans are involved won’t be held until next year.
Spokesmen for the national parties say they have made no special effort to recruit Iraq war veterans to run for Congress. But they agree that a record of war service would be a plus for any potential candidate.
“These folks bring a firsthand understanding of how big our responsibility is, how large our government’s responsibility is, to provide troops and soldiers with everything they need when they are fighting this war, but also to provide them with everything they need when they come home,” said Sarah Feinberg, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington.
“The Bush administration and the Republicans in Congress are a lot of talk about providing troops with the resources and materials they need and a lot of talk about assisting veterans by providing health care for veterans when they come home. But they don’t walk the walk.”
A candidate’s record of military service during war can be especially beneficial in a conservative district, said Ed Patru, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. But it won’t win the race.
“If your positions are wrong or if your positions are out of step with the district, voters are not going to put you in office simply because of the fact that you are a veteran,” Patru said. “And I think that’s what the case is in Ohio.”
Republicans predict that Hackett’s blistering criticism of President Bush will turn off voters who otherwise would be impressed by his military credentials.
“I don’t know if that is what voters want to see from a soldier. And I certainly don’t think it’s the kind of behavior voters expect from a member of Congress,” Patru said.
In Minnesota, Walz has been watching the Ohio race to see how well Hackett goes over with voters.
Like Hackett, Walz has criticized the Bush administration and the way it has handled the war. He has been particularly critical of some of the statements the administration made in the weeks leading up to the war.
“I feel like I was misled,” Walz said. “It was not planned out the way it should have been.”
But while Walz plans to emphasize his military service, he doesn’t want to make it the focus of his campaign. Too much emphasis on military experience can give voters the impression that he is a one-issue candidate, he said.
“It doesn’t define me as a person, but it is part of my character,” he said.
By Michael Collins Tuesday, August 2, 2005
The Cincinnati Post Post Washington Bureau