Smith Not Seeking Re-election As County Democrat Chairman
Posted
Staff Report-
Brian Smith announced Monday that he will not seek re-election as chairman of the Kosciusko County Democrats.
On his Facebook page Tuesday, Smith said, “I came to this conclusion for a multitude of reasons, however, after the last election, I was exhausted. I had no motivation and I was zapped mentally. I kept telling myself that the motivation that I once had would return, but it has since not. As I look ahead to the work that needs to be done, I just don't see myself as the best person to accomplish our goals.”
He goes on to say he enjoyed every minute of the last four years.
“Being your chairman was an immense privilege that I did not take lightly. I woke up everyday and would do one of three things: fundraise, recruit and/or campaign. I knew that if I didn't do one of those three things each day, we wouldn't be successful. However, as I look forward to the next four years, I simply can't commit to that daily rigor,” he continues in the Facebook post.
“I can't thank each of you who believed in me enough. When elected, I was just 28. I believe I was the youngest county chair in the state. Very few people my age have the platform that I have and I tried to use it to get more millennials involved in politics.
“I'm quite proud of what we have been able to accomplish in Kosciusko over the past four years. The amount of candidates we were able to recruit forced the opposition party to actually campaign and get to know their constituents. Nobody got a free pass to re-election.
“Furthermore, due to the amount of downballot candidates we had, the opposition party was preoccupied and they weren't devoting all of their resources to the statewide races, which they usually do. As a result, Trump performed 5% worse than he did four years ago, and we also moved numbers for our attorney general candidate. Kosciusko was one of only four counties (and the only rural county) where Joe Biden performed better than Barack Obama did eight years ago.”
Smith states that none of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement of Vicki Carvey Morton, his vice chair.
“I can't thank her enough for being beside me through thick and thin, the ups and downs, and the highs and lows. Without her hardwork finding pollworkers, none of the success I mentioned above would have been possible. The over 100 Democrats we need to staff every polling location don't just appear out of thin air, it takes months of dedication to identifying those individuals,” Smith wrote.
For those reasons, he endorsed Morton as his successor.
“Her organizational skills are top notch and her service to our community is unmatched. Vicki and her husband Bill Morton have been involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, CASA and Cardinal Services. Vicki will be a great face for our party,” Smith concludes.
