This morning when my boys asked me if we won, I smiled and told them we got more votes than everyone else in the district except one person. (How’s that for annoyingly optimistic?)
The reality is, while the results didn’t go our way, I ran this campaign the way I wanted. I focused on what felt important when I first decided to run: growing the Oregon economy and making sure more resources get to the kids and teachers in the classroom. Most of all, I lived (and I hope modeled) what I said in countless letters and conversations: that the people of Oregon really are more purple than they are red or blue.
That’s a hard conversation to have when so many folks see the R next to your name, make assumptions, and write you off. But I never hid from it, and I had many of those conversations anytime someone in the district asked. Some turned into our most vocal supporters. Some turned into votes. Others stayed as conversations… and that’s okay. You can’t win them all (though the mind of someone who runs for office secretly thinks you could… if you just had the chance for one more conversation).
Beyond all of that, the thing I’m most proud of in this campaign is something I selfishly reserved for my children. I wanted to show my five boys that it’s okay to put yourself out there, on a very public stage, knowing the odds are completely against you, and stand up for what you believe in. Not only to stand up, but to enter something so ripe with negativity and do it with a foundation of positivity, with optimism, and with a love for people who don’t even know you. If that’s the only thing that comes out of this race… there’s no bigger victory for me as a father.
With that I say thank you. It was an absolute honor to run for this seat and I’m thankful for every vote, every meeting and every conversation I had along the way.
My love for Oregon and this district is unwavering, and without a doubt, I mean it when I say it.
People Over Party… ALWAYS.
