"After you've been in combat and you survived it, you've got this real energized sense that, 'I can accomplish anything,' and you view your country differently" he said for "The Athens Messenger" in February 2008, during a time he was endorsing anti-war veteran candidates such as J. Ashwin Madia of Minnesota via VoteVets.org, which created anti-war candidacy ads on the Internet, opposite Iraq Vets for Congress.On February 17, 2010, Hackett endorsed Surya Yalamanchili in the Democratic primary for the Second District of Ohio.