 Hackett ultimately lost by a narrow margin, only 3.27 percent, the best showing of any Democrat in the district since 1974.These were the final certified numbers as reported on the Ohio Secretary of State's website.Howard Wilkinson wrote in "The Cincinnati Enquirer" the morning after the election "the fact that Paul Hackett made it a very close election is nothing short of astounding... com[ing] close to pulling off a monumental political upset."