"And you, Tom! When your shop flooded, who was it that brought men to help you drain it?"
"Susan! For your husband's funeral expenses, who was it that contacted the funeral home to get you a discount?"
Smith counted them off one by one.
These were all small, trivial things. Some were even insignificant.
But in this moment, they converged into a powerful emotional current that washed away the defenses in everyone's heart.
The crowd looked at Smith on the stage, the doubt in their eyes slowly vanishing.
These were the citizens he had served for twenty years. These were the people who had watched him go from a hale and hearty man to a half-bald old one.
Ron Smith, before he was a Republican, was an Erie man first.
He was born here, he grew up here, and he was growing old here.
Smith's voice lowered.
"I've always been a Republican. I have never changed my stance."
"I believe in small government. I believe in individual hard work."
"But..."
