The Iowa Delegation to the Democratic National Convention
this evening at the start of the convention
© 2004 Democracy for Iowa. All rights reserved.

 

BOSTON
– During the first day of the Democratic National Convention, Art
Small, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, met with Sen. Tom Harkin
(D-Iowa) and the Iowa Delegation for breakfast, had lunch with labor
leaders, and had a conference with Sen. Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey),
chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.



The palpable excitement of Iowa delegates, candidates and elected officials bodes well for the week’s events, Small said.



“We’re
all having an excellent time,” he said. “The weather is absolutely
wonderful and the city has just gone out of its way to be hospitable.”



Small
said being in Boston also reinforced his commitment to creating
opportunity for ordinary Americans and to his campaign to defeat Sen.
Charles Grassley this November.



“I
was looking over the city this morning from the terrace of my room, and
I could see the Beacon Hill monument – where the American Revolution
started – and I could see the convention center,” he said. “Then I saw
the wharves and it reminded me of my grandfather. He was a mate on a
ship and fell ill. Because of that, my father had to quit school to
support the family. For some time, he drove a cab in Boston. Now, here
I am, riding in cabs in Boston as a U.S. Senate candidate on my way to
the Democratic National Convention.”



“I’ve
come a long way from being the son of a traveling salesman,” Small
said. “I want all Iowans to have that same opportunity.”



Small said because his father, a smart and hard working man, had not finished high school, most careers weren’t open to him.



Art
Small worked his way through college and attended graduate school on
the G.I. Bill. His personal experience has motivated him to work for an
opportunity society — where everyone has a genuine chance to secure a
quality education, hold a job, take care of a family and live in
dignity.