18 Iowa Legislators Endorse Sen. Kerry--Sept. 8, 2003

        Des Moines, IA. Eighteen of Iowa's legislators have pledged their
        support for John Kerry, the campaign announced today. The release of
        these key endorsements builds on the grassroots momentum that Iowans for
        Kerry is creating throughout the state. On September 2, John Kerry
        declared his candidacy for president before a crowd of 1000 cheering
        Iowans in Des Moines; the next day the first ads of his campaign began
        in six media markets across Iowa; and a September 3-4 CNN poll showed
        Kerry in the lead.

        The total number of sitting legislators publicly supporting John Kerry
        is more than that of Gephardt and Dean combined, and double any other
        candidate. Kerry's supporters include Democratic leaders Mary Mascher,
        the Minority Whip in the Iowa House of Representatives and Brian Quirk,
        Assistant Leader in the Iowa House. Representative Quirk, a Gulf War
        veteran, is also a member of the leadership team for Iowa Veterans for
        Kerry.

        Support from Kerry in the Senate consists of over one fourth of the
        Democratic caucus in the Senate, including revered members Senator Jack
        Kibbie and Senator Mike Connelly. Those backing Kerry represent diverse
        populations from all over Iowa, both rural and urban, and their
        endorsement signifies the strength of his candidacy here.

        John Kerry said, "These legislators have been on the ballot in Iowa and
        they understand what it takes to win elections here. The fact that they
        are supporting me sends a strong signal to Iowa Democrats that I am the
        candidate to beat George W. Bush. I'm extremely grateful for their
        support and will count on their advice, their organizational
        effectiveness, and their ability to energize their supporters to caucus
        for me. We are going to build the strongest grassroots campaign Iowa
        has ever seen from a presidential candidate."

        Assistant Leader Quirk said, "For me, the decision to support John Kerry
        came down to two things: who is right on the issues and who gives
        Democrats the strength to defeat George Bush. Senator Kerry's work on
        environmental issues, his foreign policy experience, and his plans to
        get our economy moving again are a few things that really drew me to his
        candidacy. The legislators supporting Kerry for president are going to
        be working hard-making phone calls, sending letters, spreading the word
        to all our constituents that if they're tired of George W. Bush, their
        choice should be John Kerry."

        State Senator Steve Warnstadt said, "This week our Kerry team kicked
        things into high gear, and this impressive list of legislative support
        shows that people who have been elected in Iowa want to make sure John
        Kerry comes out on top January 19th. John Kerry understands that the
        Iowa caucuses are about grassroots support. And those of us in the
        Senate and the House who are going to help Kerry win understand that
        with Kerry at the top of our ticket we have the best chance to regain
        the Iowa Legislature."

The list of state legislators who publicly support John Kerry is
attached.