"I Promise You" - A Message from Andrew Smith
A Candidate Inspired by Howard Dean Does Us All Proud

My campaign has come to an end, and unfortunately I lost to Rep. Lance Horbach by a healthy margin at the polls. His incumbent advantage is unreal, and on Election Day, there were twice as many registered Republicans in District 40 than registered Democrats, a margin that was just impossible to overcome.

My opponent also raised money during the course of the campaign, from Special Interests tied to casino, insurance, and utility companies, nearly six times the amount I managed to raise. Despite the overwelming odds, I got into this race with courage, and I ran my campaign with courage. I knocked on thousands of doors and placed nearly a thousand yard signs in Tama County alone, and blanketed the District with flyers, mailings, and plywood signs. I may not have won the war at the polls, but I won the war on the ground. I also simultaneously worked for the Kerry and Boswell campaigns, and proudly placed their signs next to mine.

In areas of the state where "Democrat" is considered a swear word, I stood up and proudly proclaimed that I was a Democrat. I never yielded, never compromised my positions and fought to the end. I ran a clean campaign, and had available over the internet and in my flyers specific and detailed plans to improve the state of Iowa.

Before I started this race, I was not a State Representative. After this race, I still am not a State Representative. I had nothing to lose by running this race, and I have lost nothing in the end but a little time and a little money. But what I have gained cannot be quantified by numbers. I gained countless friendships, and gave hope to thousands of people in Tama and Grundy Counties. In 2002 there was no Democrat on the ballot against Horbach. In 2004, there was a strong voice of opposition, and an alternative to his policies.

During this fall, I have missed too many of my law school classes and missed too many hours of work. But I did it, because I believed in my heart, that this was one of the greatest elections in our nation's history, and I wanted to be a part of it, and help make a difference. I'm very worried about the direction of our nation, and I'm concerned that the Democratic Party has lost its focus. I believe that this is going to be a difficult period for the Democratic Party as a whole, but regardless, I want you to know that I will never give up, and I will never put profits over people, and I will always fight for you. This election didn't go our way. But there will be other fights and battles to wage, and I will be there fighting them.

Finally, I want to thank all those who donated to my campaign, and who believed in me. I also want to thank all those who helped place yard signs, and those who showed up at my events, and who helped me in the parades. Your help and belief in a better Iowa was inspirational.

Chances are that I will not be running for office again in the foreseeable future. But I promise you, that I'll be behind the scenes helping other candidates who share my vision and hope for a better Iowa. I also promise you that someday when the time is right, I'll be on the ballot again as a strong voice for the people.

Andrew Smith
Thank you so much for all your hard work, Andrew.  As the youngest Democrat running for office in Iowa, you have done us all proud.  This, THIS, is exactly what Howard Dean was talking about when he said we need to run progressive candidates in overwhelmingly Republican districts.  We need to get the message out.  We needed to start with this election, and then keep at it.  Good luck with law school.  You have already made a huge difference and been such an inspiration, and we all know that you have a bright future ahead of you.