“Hello, my name is Keith Smith and I want to help you with your campaign.”   Those were the first words I heard in a phone call from the man who was to become my campaign manager in my run for Congress in 1996 and again in 1998.  I was still reeling from publicly outing myself as a gay man running for Congress in, of all places, Oklahoma.   I wasn’t certain what to do next at that point but realized I needed a campaign manager, having been turned down by the seasoned campaign experts I knew, not because I am gay but because they did not want me to run, fearing for me personally in what they believed would be a crucifying experience.  

After a couple of weeks of indecision about running, I spoke with Pat Hall, executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic Party at the time as someone I knew and had worked with in my activities within the ODP.   Who could he recommend to help me with my campaign?   “Keith Smith.”   And then I remembered the phone call a few weeks before.    Little did the two of us, Keith and I, know how the future would unfold.  

He went to work immediately, contacting everyone he knew to enlist their help and advice.   And Keith knew more people, reaching not just higher up the political ladder but into the very grassroots of voters and communities than anyone else I could have selected for that job as campaign manager.   There was an impressive diversity of individuals that he recruited to work in what had become “our” campaign.     Not just people with name recognition – and they were vital to have – but hundreds of individuals who probably had never joined a political campaign before.   He motivated them, both well-known and ordinary folk, not just in Oklahoma but across the Country.   His relationship with most of them was on a first-name basis.   My, rather “our,” campaign reaped great benefits from his prior years of activism memorialized by others on this website.

Keith was not the most organized person I have worked with.   That is not to say he was unorganized.   “Under-organized” is a better description.   Behind-the-scene paperwork, mailings, coordinating events and such were not his strong suit but putting me in touch with effective people, focusing on issues and rallying grassroots support were his forte.   As the campaign progressed, he and I both knew but did not admit that the odds of winning were obviously against me.  Yet both of us were determined to see it through – winning the election was important, true, but that was secondary to the subliminal motivation to help people see beyond their prejudices and recognize that gay people, too, as contributing members of society were concerned about the same basic issues they cared about for their future and that of their children and communities.   Challenging corporate agriculture to protect them from the invasion of hog factories engaged ordinary people, awed at Keith’s energy to stand up for them.  Protecting the environment, defending the rights of women and children, standing up for labor – Keith kept me focused when I wavered on what is important for the rights of others, fighting for the equality, fairness and justice due everyone, especially those who had no representation in political circles.  He complimented and expanded my instincts on what needed to be addressed as a political candidate.   Reading what others have written about Keith posted on this memorial website reveals some of his talents and determined efforts.

I could not have stayed the course in “our” campaign without Keith Smith.    He tuned me into causes and issues that keep me involved to this day.   His effectiveness with legislators is legendary.   His ability to rally large grassroots efforts earned him their well-deserved respect, knowing that his support or opposition to their causes could determine the outcome.    I benefited from Keith’s tenacity with things he cared about.   We have all benefited from his energy.

Thank you, Keith.   I could not have survived the political scene without you.   You were there to “butch me up” when I needed it at some very vulnerable times.

Paul