NBC's First Read talks to the inside-the-beltway pundits about the special election in Ohio today:
Political analysts doubt that Hackett can pull off the upset in this district in a special election, when only diehard voters tend to participate. Nevertheless, Stuart Rothenberg of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report argues that this race is a no-win situation for the Republicans -- if Schmidt wins, then she was always supposed to win, but if Hackett comes close, or even wins, then it becomes a significant victory for the Democrats. "Republicans really get nothing out of it," he says.This race was supposed to be a ho-hum, no drama, slam-dunk for the GOP. It hasn't been. They have been forced to spend hundreds and hundreds of thousands to defend a GOP open seat in a traditional GOP area. Hackett -- with some help from his friends -- has taken the fight to them. Great work.
Amy Walter, who monitors House races for the Cook Political Report, says that if Hackett comes close, that will be another sign that the Ohio GOP is in disarray. "The real story is the collateral damage that Taft and 'Coingate' may have on the party in the state." Indeed, Walter says it's no coincidence that the ad being run by the Democratic House campaign committee tries to link Schmidt to GOP Gov. Bob Taft.
Check out Swing State Project for updates throughout the day.
