Thank you for supporting my campaign for State Representative from the 18th District of Illinois.

I want you to know how moved I was by the extraordinary number of people who believed in this effort. Over 500 people sent in a check, volunteered their time, helped with a coffee or event, or helped display our logo in their yard or business. Over 100 volunteered on Election Day alone. This was a strong and meaningful showing, that impressed political observers.

 We reached voters early with substance -- more paid and earned media than any other campaign. We not only had the first issue discussions, we had the best. Our website, flyers, and forum statements drove the agenda in this race, impacting larger conversations about Illinois's crises. But a policy wonk needs real debates, and we didn't have any. In an overall low-turnout, low-interest primary, we needed to overcome other campaigns' massive saturation of purchased mailings and signage.

A ticket to a game does not entitle us to see our team prevail; supporting a campaign has no guarantee of victory on Election Night. All a sports fan can ask is that their team play hard; what the political partisan must know is that democracy depends on the electorate having real choices. Even if the electorate chooses otherwise. We ran this campaign to do more than that, but that much, we accomplished.

I've received more sincere expressions of deep gratitude for running than I can count, including from many who supported another candidate. Everyone knows how hard we worked, the quality of our content, and the strength of our support. You should feel proud for all that you did to enhance the public conversation. Also bear in mind that we were part of a broader movement this election: drawing fire and tying up opposition resources in our fight helped some other progressives break through elsewhere. I ask that you stay involved; we need more, not fewer, people like you, contributing to causes and candidates, and especially to those who question authority and conventional wisdom, regardless of the odds. Democracy, to thrive, demands no less.

In the hardest and coldest hours of this very tough campaign, thoughts of all those who showed faith and gave of themselves sustained me and kept me going. I am honored to have such friends, and to keep company with the most dedicated of our citizenry.

For the short-term, this site will remain as is. Obviously, we will get out of "campaign mode" and either use the content for another purpose, or shut it down completely. In the meantime, I solicit your feedback on the campaign and ideas for the future.

Thank you for everything,

Jeff Smith



Change Springfield.
Jeff Smith is an independent Democrat who was a candidate for state representative from the 18th Representative District (Evanston-Wilmette-Winnetka-Kenilworth-Rogers Park) of the Illinois General Assembly, in the Feb. 2, 2010 Illinois primary.

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Jeff is a public-spirited attorney with deep roots in our community and a broad experience of involvement, issue activism, and political efforts on behalf of others. He  would have been the kind of innovative and independent leader that Evanston, the North Shore, and the north lakefront expect.
The 2010 election cycle continues to present both unusual need and unusual opportunity for reform in Illinois. Illinois politics is broken on many levels. Jeff and many others want to see something different in government, to believe again in Illinois.

The November, 2010 general election will be here sooner than you think. Getting involved in a campaign is a way to demonstrate we are serious about change. Jeff encourages every citizen to help build a better politics in Illinois.

This website, like this campaign, is a grassroots effort reflecting the humble seeds from which any change must grow. Please nurture it with your ideas, good wishes, and support.