In a nationally watched race that she began as a prohibitive favorite, Republican Jean Schmidt narrowly held off a hard-charging Marine to win Tuesday's special 2nd Congressional District election.

Winning the U.S. House of Representatives seat that Republican Rob Portman resigned this spring to join President Bush's cabinet as U.S. trade representative, Schmidt defeated Democrat Paul Hackett, 59,132 votes to 55,151, according to unofficial totals.

Schmidt's 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent victory was much tighter than had been expected in a district that the GOP has dominated for three decades and in which registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by a more than 3-to-1 margin.

Then, in another part of the article....

"After that hair-thin loss, (of a different earlier election) I was disappointed but I knew that God had a different plan for me," Schmidt said. "I just didn't know what it was."

It is a wonder that shit like this doesn't scare more people.....