“The last 5 years have been some of the most challenging, thrilling, grueling, exciting, and wonderful years of my life,” Smith wrote in a letter to the party. “Leading this Party as Chair, working alongside so many of you, and meeting thousands of members of our community, has been the honor and privilege of my life.”
The party will search for a new chair and aims to elect one at the Nov. 12 executive committee meeting. Interested candidates will be heard at the party’s October meeting.
Smith said his role at Contest Every Race has grown, giving his less time for Clark County. He said with the midterms being “a pivotal point for Democrats across the country, Ohio, and Clark County... a new leader should have the ability to build and run a comprehensive campaign plan of their making.” Smith is engaged and plans to move to Toronto with his fiancé by the end of 2026, he said in the letter.
The chair first became involved in politics in 2014 at 19 as a sophomore at Wittenberg University as part of an elective course on campaigns and elections, he said. As part of the course, he was required to volunteer 10 hours on a campaign and he chose David Pepper against Mike DeWine for Attorney General.
“Mike DeWine was arguing against gay marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefel v. Hodges and as a closeted teenager who one day wanted to get married, but felt it was impossible, I was excited to join the fight for equality in Ohio,” Smith wrote. “Over the course of that fall I did my 10 hours and over 100 more and despite crushing losses, it was exhilarating.”
In 2016, he organized for Hillary Clinton then again for Sherrod Brown in 2018. He was elected a Central and Executive Committee Member, then he was political director. He was elected party chair during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Thank you for allowing me to serve in this position which has been the honor of my life,” Smith wrote.
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