As the campaign wound to a close, Cranley released television ads attacking Chabot for his dependence on Political Action Committee (PAC) money, referring to him as "PAC Man."
Slightly less than half of Chabot's money for this election came from PACs, while about 30 percent of Cranley's money did.
The majority of Cranley's money came from individual contributions, including at least two well-known Harvard professors. University Professor Cornel R. West '74 and Frankfurter Professor of Law Alan Dershowitz each contributed $250.
In the end, Chabot's incumbent status and large war chest were simply too much for Cranley to overcome, according to Leonard.
Leonard landed his job with the campaign after being a student of Cranley's in his "Warren Court" section in the fall of 1998.