Friend -- It's important to me that before you hear what I have to say, you know who I am. So please, take a moment -- read this story about my family -- then consider chipping in $5 to my campaign.

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As a Black man running to be Iowa's next governor, I'm not setting out to make history -- but I do plan on making a difference. It all starts with something I learned from my parents at a young age.

Iowa welcomed my grandmother in 1957 after she packed up her family in an old station wagon and fled a sharecropping plantation in Tchula, Mississippi.

My dad was only seven years old when he arrived. He went on to take a job at John Deere and stayed for more than 40 years. He was an active member of the United Auto Workers union and barely missed a day of work in his life.

My dad with my siblings and me.
My mom served as military police, and then became a pastor. Here's a story about how they taught me to treat people:

One Easter Sunday, a few folks at our church told my mom they couldn't afford to buy and wear their "Sunday best." My mom immediately got on the phone and told them "No, come as you are."

That story has stuck with me my whole life. You see, my mom did not want clothes or money to be a barrier for folks to participate in community.

To me, "come as you are" means Iowa could be a state where everyone is welcome -- no matter how much money you have, who you voted for, or what part of the state you call home.

Unfortunately the opportunities my parents had to not just survive, but thrive, are further out of reach for more working families today than ever before.

Instead of working to change that, politicians like my opponent Kim Reynolds and the rest of the Iowa GOP have only made them worse.

I'm running to be Iowa's next governor so that everyone has the opportunity to not just survive, but truly thrive. If you agree, chip in $5 to make sure more voters know another future is possible, and that I'm ready to take on Kim Reynolds and win.

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Thanks,

Ras Smith
Democrat for Governor

PS. "Come as you are" means that on our campaign -- you don't have to be perfect, have it all figured out, or worry about saying the wrong thing. I just need your commitment that you'll work for a better Iowa. So what do you say, friend? Are you in?

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