Democratic State Representative Mark Smith will not seek re-election in 2020, Lana Bradstream was first to report for the Marshalltown Times-Republican on September 22. Smith broke the news the previous day during an event featuring presidential candidate Cory Booker in Marshalltown. He elaborated on his reasoning in a column for the Times-Republican.



Excerpts:

For twenty years, it has been my honor to serve as State Representative for the good, hard-working people of Marshalltown and the surrounding area. […]

And now, I am announcing that I am retiring from public life.

After months of reviewing options, I have decided that it is time for me to pursue other avenues. As was reported by the Times-Repubican, I considered seeking other public offices. However, there are several aspects of my life that have been on hold during the twenty years that I have served as State Representative.

My mother is 92 and while she is in relatively good health and living in her own home, I need to devote more time and energy to her care. My wife, Karen, has been a wonderful companion during these twenty years. Both of us want to travel and spend more time doing the things we enjoy doing together. Our daughter, Allison, was 11 when I first elected and now holds her masters in library science and serves the good people of Washington, Iowa. Reading all the books she recommends will fill a good deal of my time!

For my swearing in as your representative in January, 2001 during a cold and snowy time, I kept a campaign promise and rode my 1985 bicycle from Marshalltown to the Statehouse. I plan to ride that same bicycle from Marshalltown to Des Moines for my last session this coming January.

This is to signify that I am still in good health. I might not bicycle as fast as I once could, but it is still a method of transportation that I use regularly. I began my political career promoting health and wellness and want to end it doing the same.