Hackett to speak at convention

GOP congressional candidate to address convention in St. Paul, Minn.

ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com

Chris Hackett had planned to watch the Republican National Convention on television. Now he’ll have a much better seat.

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The Republican congressional candidate for the 10th District has accepted an invitation from convention officials to not only attend the four-day event, but also to have a speaking role.

Hackett has been given the podium for two minutes at 4 p.m. CDT (5 p.m. EST) on Sept. 1, the first day of the convention, which is being held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

“I just think it’s a great honor to even be considered,” Hackett said on Tuesday, the day after he was offered the invitation.

Conversely, U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Twp., Hackett’s opponent in the Nov. 4 election, will not be attending his party’s national convention being held next week in Denver. He’ll honor his commitment with the U.S. Navy Reserves by reporting today to begin a two-week training session.

Carney, as an incumbent Democratic congressman, is a superdelegate and would have been able to cast a vote in the nominating process for the party’s presidential race between U.S. Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York.

Carney said he’ll vote through a proxy for Clinton, even though all signs point to Obama receiving his party’s nomination.

Jeff Brauer, a political science professor at Keystone College, said Carney’s absence can’t hurt him. In fact, he said, it might help.

“I think it’s a good political move on his part, especially in a district like ours,” Brauer said.

Carney said his military commitment “take precedence over the Democratic National Convention,” which is an event he has never attended.

“It would have been interesting to see how things unfold . … I’m trading one interesting thing for another,” Carney said.

Brauer and other political science professors said Hackett’s speaking engagement illustrates the party’s support of his candidacy.

“The Republican Party giving Hackett two minutes is an indication of just how much it wants him to win,” said Tom Baldino, political science professor at Wilkes University.

Hackett said he’s unsure what he’ll say when he takes the microphone, but it’s likely he’ll highlight why U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the best choice to be the next president. He said he might also discuss the need to “control wasteful spending and ease the pain at the pump.”

While not much can be said in such a short amount of time, just having the face time on a national stage sends a louder message than whatever Hackett would actually convey through words, said King’s College assistant political science professor David Sosar. He said it’s also a sign of just how much the GOP is counting on regaining the seat.

The invitation is the latest gesture made to the Kingston Township businessman by the Republican Party, which has targeted the district seat as a potential party gain this fall. Currently held by Carney, the seat has been in GOP hands for all but two of the past 48 years. Carney, who defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood in 2006, represents those two. Though the Republicans account for less than 50 percent of the registered voters in the district, they do still hold an advantage over Democrats.

Hackett has received help from some of the party’s big guns in recent weeks. U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and U.S. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma both appeared locally this month for Hackett fundraisers.

Hackett and seven other congressional hopefuls were also invited by House GOP Whip Roy Blount of Missouri and the National Republican Congressional Committee to attend a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., last month.

Hackett was also charged with handling master of ceremony duties when presumptive Republican presidential nominee McCain came to Wilkes-Barre last month.

Ken Spain, press secretary for the NRCC, wouldn’t confirm Hackett’s appearance at the convention but said the party is behind him 100 percent. The NRCC joined with Hackett’s campaign to purchase air time for two 30-second commercials that began airing Tuesday. It’s the first campaign in Pennsylvania the NRCC has funded commercials for.

“Chris Hackett’s pro-growth positions in favor of drilling, lowering taxes and restoring fiscal responsibility stand in stark contrast to Chris Carney’s liberal anti-growth record,” Spain said. “That combined with the quality of the Chris Hackett’s candidacy make this a very real pickup opportunity.”

Sosar said that by offering the convention platform to Hackett, the Republican Party is giving him the gift of a free advertisement that will keep giving. He said local media will run stories on his speaking engagement, and Hackett will be able to use sound bites and images of him speaking at the convention for future commercials and mailers.