The race is over - now what?

When I first entered this race I knew there were two questions I was going to ask on November 4: 1) Did we win? and 2) Did we do everything we could to win? If I could answer the second question positively, then the answer to the first was meant to be.

1. Did we win?

Unfortunately we did not win. We fell short in a year that saw many Republican candidates lose in spite of the best intentions and efforts. There are a lot of very smart and experienced people that are analyzing why, and when the final canvass numbers through the Secretary of State office are available, we'll do something similar for this race. We must learn our lessons from this time to avoid making them again. Democrats from President-elect Obama on down earned our congratulations and our best wishes. Our country and our state need very good decisions to be made the next two years.

2. Did we do everything we could to win?

We had dozens of volunteers that did everything from stuffing envelopes to placing yard signs to handing out notepads in parades. We had many donors, and I'm very proud of the folks throughout Black Hawk, Bremer and Fayette County that gave what they could to advance our efforts. One of the most meaningful donations was from a widow in Oelwein that sent two one-dollar bills because she wanted to have a state representative that stood up for the unborn, and that was all she could afford. We sent out over 50,000 pieces of mail. We raised and spent more money than I believed possible in these circumstances. We pointed out where we believed our opponent was wrong on the issues on the air and in print, and offered voters the clearest choice we could. I personally knocked on over 13,000 doors - some folks have talked to me four times on their doorstep. Simply put, I believe our campaign left it all out on the field and did everything we knew and could do to win.

The final thing that needs to be done to finish this campaign is to say thank you.

  • Thank you to all of our volunteers that gave their time and effort
  • Thank you to all of our donors that gave us the resources to get our message out
  • Thank you to so many of you that voted for me and encouraged us with your support

    What's next?

    The question that I have been asked most since last Tuesday is "What's next? Will you run again?" The answer to both is that I don't know. I am going to take some time to catch up on things that have not gotten as much attention lately at home, work and church. I am going to continue to seek out new opportunities to serve the church, community and country that I love so much. And I am going to make sure I am the best dad and husband I can be. Lord willing, we will have our second child in mid-May and that will of course take a lot of time and effort. Who knows what comes after that? I know that I will continue to follow wherever the Lord leads.

    I am also going to wish those newly elected and re-elected well and encourage you to do the same. We are facing tough economic challenges and difficult domestic and foreign policy decisions. We elected President-elect Obama and our congressional representatives and state legislators. We need to pray for them to make the best decisions possible. And then we need to applaud them when they make good decisions, and stand in principled opposition when they go wrong. We must never forget that we must make decisions that will be the best for our children and grandchildren. If we all do that, we can Win Iowa's Future, creating a state we are proud to pass along to our kids and grandkids.

    Yours truly,

    Austin Lorenzen

    • PAID FOR BY LORENZEN FOR IOWA'S FUTURE