By now you know we lost our bid for the Iowa Senate. We ran an incredible race but it is very difficult to go against an incumbent and ultimately, the voters decided to re-elect Senator Gaskill.
When I announced my candidacy for the Iowa Senate back in March of this year, I really didn't know what to expect for support from my party. As it turned out, I received no monetary help from the Iowa Democratic Party, so the help from DFA and DFIA was more than greatly appreciated. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Democracy for America as well as Democracy for Iowa for the support along the way. I also want to thank the people across the country who supported my campaign. When I would talk to other local candidates struggling to raise enough money to get their messages out, I would mention the support my campaign was getting from this incredible organization and individuals nationwide. Needless to say, they were impressed and amazed.
Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack and John Drury,
on the campaign trail
I also want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Senate District 6 for welcoming me into their communities, on their doorsteps, and at their kitchen tables as we discussed their concerns over the past 7 months. I met many wonderful people and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I walked through over 20 parades, I went through one pair of shoes, I put over 20,000 miles on my pickup, and I never said no to an opportunity to listen to the people of the district.
A special thanks goes to Darrell Lewis; when we held one of the first Drury for Iowa Senate campaign meetings, Darrell quickly spoke up and volunteered to be treasurer. Little did he know that down the line, he would also assume the role of webmaster and campaign manager. Darrell poured his heart and soul into this campaign and I will be forever in debt to him. He is a wonderful person and is genuinely concerned about the future of Iowa. Thank you for your incredible work in this campaign, Darrell.
I'd also like to thank Sybil Soukup who did a magnificent job launching this campaign. She got us up and running and provided support and advice throughout the campaign. I thank her for her work as well.
A thank you also goes to Linda Thieman at DFIA; she was always there for us, whether it was technical advice on our web site, or just something posted when Darrell was out of town. Thank you, Linda, for your dedication and hard work.
I also want to thank all of the volunteers on this campaign for a better Iowa. From county chairs to committee members, I can't possibly put into words how wonderful it feels right now to know all of you. Whether it was money or time or both that you gave, I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. We will have to do it again sometime.
John Drury
GOP Calls for End to Exit Polls
