In 1982, Packard lost the Republican primary for the United States House of Representatives in a crowded field of candidates to Johnnie Crean by 92 votes. After Crean faced controversy, such as laying about being endorsed by then-President Ronald Reagan, Packard ran as a write-in candidate. He won the election in 1982 beating Crean. Packard won the election by 11,000 votes to become the first independent write-in candidate to defeat candidates of both the Democratic and Republican parties.