Letter: Support Blair Lawton for IDP chair

The Democratic Party in Iowa is in the midst of an identity crisis.

Energized young professionals entering the world with unyielding ambitions. Ready and willing to make the world a better place. Proud, long-tenured members of their county committees and school boards.

Then there's the rest of us. The disconnected, the disinterested - the lukewarm. Lacking either the passion, the years of service - perhaps both - to feel like an able participant in the political process.

There is a need for a strong, consistent message built on a unifying platform of the needs of the people of Iowa. Healthcare, jobs, civil liberties. Strong support of our farmers, of our service members, of our children.

If the Iowa Democratic Party has any hope of rebounding from several cycles' worth of losses, it must be a directive from the top to rebuild the party from the bottom up.

To unify the sustained-yet-scattered energy and ambition in the party. To lower the barriers to entry into the political process. To foster and encourage future and current leaders. To bolster the ranks.

Blair Lawton, with his extensive ties to Iowa communities, experience in organizing grassroots efforts, and overall passion for the mission of the Democratic Party, is the unifying voice to lead the cause.

Vote Lawton for chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.

Joseph Spivey

Des Moines