kurt meyer, tri-county chair.mike: -- an avid democrat and political activist since high school days. he knocked doors for george mcgovern while attending to the college. county chair in the late 1970's. worked for congress, and he and has wife -- he and his wife were in charge of fundraising. kurt meyer has been a leading example for democratic activists for years. most recently, as chair of the tri-county democrats. an organization he conceived of when he recognized that the rural counties in north-central iowa could do more together than apart. several counties are in the same state house and senate district. his leadership and the cooperation accomplished under his guidance provided local support structure the plate an important part in reelecting president obama, congressman braley and mary jo wilhelm to the iowa senate in 2012. [applause] considering she won by 126 votes, it shows how important every effort is. this was a race that was crucial to the democrats in maintaining majority in the senate that year.