(SPECIAL) – In a bitterly contested race that became the focal point of national political attention, Republican Jean Schmidt defeated Democrat Paul Hackett 52%-48% to win the congressional seat in Ohio’s 2nd District.

   Early returns had the upstart Hackett leading, but as returns filtered in the contest was a virtual 50-50 deadlock by 10:30 p.m. Optimism continued to run high at the Schmidt camp however. The only county that had significant numbers of still unreported ballots was that of Schmidt’s home Clinton County, which the Republican was expected to carry handily. And somewhat surprisingly, Hackett could not carry his home county of Hamilton, losing there 51-49%. Hackett did surprise most observers by managing to take the rural counties of Brown and Adams, as well as performing strongly in Pike and Scioto counties where he captured over 60% of the vote. Schmidt captured Warren County 58% to 42%.

   Hackett reportedly postponed making an 11 p.m. concession speech due to the slowness of the vote counting in Clermont County, where election officials said the 96-degree heat and high humidity had caused ballot scanning equipment to malfunction, necessitating a hand count of the votes. Democratic activists were already heard repeating the tired Dem mantra of the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections, claiming Schmidt had “stolen the Election just like Bush.”

   But just after 11 p.m. the long awaited – but expected – news from Clermont County came in. As anticipated Schmidt’s home county propelled her to victory, changing a scant lead of less than a 1,000 votes to a 4-percentage point Schmidt win

   The 2nd District has long been a stronghold for Republicans. Terrace Park Republican Rob Portman had held the seat for the past 12 years, capturing over 70% of the vote in three successive elections. Portman received a Cabinet level appointment from President George W. Bush in April as U.S. Trade Representative.

   The race drew increasingly heavy attention in its final month, as both Party’s National Committees committed significant financial and strategic support to their respective candidates.

   Due to its status as “the only game in town” the special August 2 run-off election drew considerable attention from a national media that had no other campaign to cover.

   Additionally, Democrats had sought to redefine the race as a referendum on the War in Iraq and Bush’s presidency. Hackett, 43, an Indian Hill lawyer, angered conservatives in the election’s final week by calling Bush an obscene name in print. Though he served a 7-month tour of duty in Iraq, Hackett was highly critical of the War. That apparently didn’t play well in the strongly patriotic 2nd District, which includes the Clermont County home of Pfc. Matt Maupin, who was captured in Iraq over a year ago and remains unaccounted for. The geographically diverse District encompasses seven counties and stretches from the suburbs of Hamilton and Warren County east along the Ohio River to Portsmouth.

   Many political observers attributed Hackett’s strong showing to a massive effort from Liberal bloggers to generate financial and “boots on the ground” support for the lawyer, as volunteers from states far removed from Ohio canvassed the District for Hackett.

   Schmidt, wearing a Matt Maupin button, addressed her supporters in a victory speech at the Eastgate Holiday Inn. She thanked Bush for his support as well as her family and “tireless” campaign workers.

   In a direct slap at Hackett’s inflammatory campaign rhetoric, Schmidt told her cheering supporters, “Today the voters of this District spoke, and instead of viewing our President as a greater enemy than Osama bin Laden….they showed they support his strong and effective leadership.”

   Schmidt said of the national media’s contention “that this was the so-called first test of the Republican Party and the Bush mandate…well, ladies and gentlemen, we passed that test.”

   When Hackett finally did make his concession speech a half hour later, it was eerily reminiscent of Howard Dean’s “I Have a Scream” speech after losing the Iowa Primary. Hackett shouted and blustered and boasted of the “over $450,000” raised for his campaign online. He did not say however, how much of that money had come from outside the 2nd District.

   Schmidt, 53, is President of Cincinnati Right to Life.

   She vowed to continue to champion the rights of the unborn during her upcoming term. The Clermont County native becomes the first woman to represent the 2nd District in Washington.