Six Questions for Jeff Smith on Why It's So Hard to Get to Washington

By Ken Silverstein

Jeff Smith is the star of Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? , an illuminating and entertaining new documentary that's particularly important in light of the upcoming midterm elections. Two years ago, Smith, a twenty-nine-year-old college instructor of African-American political thought and the immigrant experience, ran in the Democratic primary for the Missouri congressional seat then held by retiring House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt. The favorite in the race was Russ Carnahan, the son of former Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan and former Senator Jean Carnahan, a vacuous, dull, and uninspiring candidate who enjoyed the support of the Democratic establishment. Smith had no political experience, faced opposition from his own family, and, according to one of his top aides, “looks like he's twelve and sounds like he's been castrated.” But despite these limitations, Smith ran a genuine grassroots campaign that emphasized progressive positions—he was anti-war, pro-choice, and in favor of universal health care—and nearly scored an astonishing upset. In the end, Mr. Carnahan, not Mr. Smith, went to Washington, but it looks like Smith will make it to Jefferson City—he won the August Democratic primary for a state senate seat and faces no opposition in the November general election.

1. You were a total unknown when you launched your campaign, and even your family and friends thought you were crazy to run. What made you decide to run for Congress?

First, I was as disturbed by the direction of the country as I'd ever been, in particular by the war in Iraq and by the skyrocketing national debt. Second, I was the eighth candidate of ten to get in the race. In a multi-candidate primary, the number of votes you need to win decreases. In my case, it was low enough that a person-to-person grassroots campaign was realistic. You're not going to win going door to door if you're running for governor of California or even for most congressional campaigns, and I would have had no chance in a two-or-three-person race. But with eight candidates, about 25,000 votes was enough to win. There was some method to my madness.

2. What was the biggest obstacle you faced at the outset?

Money. My family forbade me to ask our friends or relatives for money. I was a twenty-nine-year-old trying to finish my PhD. Money begets money, and it was hard to go to strangers and ask for it when I didn't have any in the bank—especially when the people closest to me were unsupportive.

3. When did people begin to take your campaign seriously?

The Democratic township clubs—they're like ward organizations—endorse candidates. Russ Carnahan just about had them wrapped up, but there was one where I thought I had a shot. Carnahan worked to keep me from getting it, but I had gotten in early and done the legwork, so I got the endorsement. Then Howard Dean came to town and endorsed me. We had a huge crowd and got some press coverage. Before that I was a laughingstock. Of course, it was still hard to get people to take me seriously. Every pundit was writing stories saying, “Carnahan's got the name, the money, and the endorsements. He can't lose.” Every time I saw an article like that, I thought, “Damn.” Then Carnahan's campaign would send copies to their donors and to my donors. They also sent copies of the polls that they commissioned that showed Carnahan running ahead of me.

4. How much of a difference did money make?

Carnahan raised over $1 million and I raised about a third of that. It made a big difference. He spent a lot of money on Washington consultants, while our overhead costs were negligible. We had 500 volunteers pounding the pavement; Carnahan paid for his canvassers. And he was able to do TV for the last three weeks of the campaign, whereas we could do it only for the last few days.

5. Did you ever feel like you had to tone down your rhetoric in order to win votes or raise money—especially on controversial issues like the war in Iraq or abortion?

The media and some of the other candidates caricatured me as a wild-eyed liberal, a professor type who didn't understand the real world. But I feel the war was wrongheaded and misguided, and I felt totally comfortable being highly critical. On abortion, I'm pro-choice and never changed my position, but I tried to talk about it in a different way because so much of the constituency was unalterably pro-life. And I have a genuine respect for that viewpoint and I tried to frame my position from that perspective.

6. In the end, Mr. Smith didn't get to Washington. Is it impossible for a progressive candidate to win office by running a genuine grassroots campaign?

There are significant obstacles, but it's not impossible. I think people are hungry for an alternative. They're ready to hear from the side that hasn't gotten us into these messes. They're sick of the TV ads and starved for real debate. They want to be engaged and to participate in the process.

You have to care about your campaign workers. They're not just cogs in your machine. If I got one email from someone who wanted to volunteer and one from someone who wanted to donate money, I'd call the volunteer first. People who believe in you and are willing to knock on doors for you are worth far more in terms of persuading voters.

Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? is in theaters now and will be broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens on February 27, 2007.

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