After tight primary race, Hackett looks forward to general campaign

Republican congressional candidate Chris HackettAt the end of a fiercely contested race, businessman Chris Hackett narrowly topped his primary opponent in yesterday’s primary.

Now the 10th Congressional District Republican nominee, Hackett is focusing on a win in the November primary against incumbent freshmen Chris Carney (D-Dimock).

Hackett, who has never run for political office before, won 33,604 votes, or 52.3 percent of the vote to Dan Meuser’s 30,636 votes, or 47.7 percent in last night’s primary.

The count was close enough that Meuser wouldn’t concede the election last evening even though the Associated Press had already declared Hackett the winner.

Hackett spent most of today making phone calls to elected officials who supported Meuser. There has been a unanimous outreach to support his efforts, he said.

“I was excited for myself but I was really excited for the team and the people in the room. People have coalesced behind me,” Hackett said. “I think the vision of limited government and the wasteful ways of spending of Washington resonates with voters whether its Republicans or Democrats. That’s one of the reasons I feel so strongly against my chances in November.”

Hackett received a phone call from Meuser this morning expressing his congratulations.

“I think there is certainly some mutual admiration in regards to how each other ran our races, and I think Dan deserves a lot of credit for doing a terrific job,” Hackett said. “I will tell you I have never worked so hard in my life to win anything and I had to work so hard because of how effective Dan was in running his campaign.”

Eric Wallace, spokesperson for Meuser’s campaign, released a statement earlier this morning.

“We are disappointed. Our many supporters throughout the district expected us to win and effectively represent them in the general election and in Congress. Dan called Chris Hackett this morning and wished him luck.”

In between making phone calls and being interviewed, Hackett made a quick stop to a pizza parlor to celebrate his victory this afternoon. Pizza is Hackett’s favorite food. The campaign ordered one of each today: pineapple, green pepper and pepperoni.

“We celebrate big with pizzas,” Hackett joked. “We run our campaign like we run a small business. We are frugal. We are very focused on the small things. And I think that is something that really gives us an edge because we focus on detail.”

Hackett believes the biggest advantage his campaign has over Carney in the general is the conservative makeup of voters in the 10th Congressional District. Since Carney’s election in 2006, the 10th Congressional District hasn’t sent a Democrat to Washington in more than four decades.

“I think Dan’s supporters are generally going to want to win the seat back just as much as the rest of us and they will step in and do some heavy lifting,” Hackett said.

Having McCain at the top of the ticket could also be beneficial for the campaign in the upcoming months, Hackett said. He believes McCain’s message will attract independent and democrat voters.

“I think the issues that differentiate me and Chris Carney will also provide the voters with a real contrast with what they are looking for,” Hackett said. “Probably the most important issue of all is his stance on ear marks and pork barrel spending. I believe that is a real problem in Washington and I think that the wasteful spending element will again a key part of my campaign.”

The Chris Carney campaign released a statement on yesterday’s Republican primary.

"I am truly humbled and grateful for the continued support of our friends and neighbors in the district and excited that so many people came out to vote. I offer my congratulations to Mr. Hackett and look forward to a campaign that focuses on the issues that really matter to the families of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. I came to Congress to fight for the values of our district and I have focused my work on lower taxes for middle class families, better care for our veterans, fighting for lower gas prices and alternative energy, and securing our borders,” Carney said in the statement.