The Official "'End-of-Cycle' Thank You Blog"

As time goes by and I keep searching for some way to sum up everything that was involved in our 2 year campaign, I find the process gets more, not less, daunting as the days go by. Today is the 10 day mark since the election and we are still swamped w the massive tasks of putting away the past and building a brand new future.

More than most any other congressional candidate this cycle and probably this century, my campaign was handmade, by myself and by volunteers and supporters like you. We had no paid staff and usually little money. THX so much to all of you who helped w that. But money was not the issue and neither were our chances of election. While the press may have belittled my faith in the effort and not in the odds, I know that you know the reality of the district and the need to build.

& build we did.

Progressive Arizonans and Democrats around the country began a process that will create a powerful networked Democratic Party in AZ-04. Our progress was true. The Democratic successes in urban AZ can be accomplished in rural AZ when we invest the time and energy. In a year where Democrats across the nation, and especially AZ Dems, faced  a massive Republican backlash, our campaign still garnered 45,000 votes and outpolled any other Mohave County based candidate despite a fraction of the funding. Our campaign helped coordinate Dem efforts elsewhere as well and remained a significant component in the campaigns of Fred DuVal, Jim Holway, both LD5 candidates, LD1’s Frank Cuccia, LD13’s Terri Woodmansee & LD16’s Scott & Cara Prior. In addition to distributing more than 15,000 pieces of my own campaign literature this cycle, our campaign personally distributed nearly 5,000 pieces of statewide campaign lit in LD5 alone, in addition to our work for local candidates in Prescott, Kingman and Bullhead City. We helped create PCs in 3 different LDs around the state and began the important work of cross-pollinating the various rural parties.

In the short term, though already obviously tragic, the GOP backlash Democrats faced nationwide was inevitable and in keeping w their “governing” strategies: destroy all Dems at all costs. But since their only solution to any problem is to cut spending, their days of holding public support are numbered. So our campaign will keep working to push forward to that day. For me, 2016 began at 7:01pm 11/4/14.

We have come an incredibly long way and still have an incredibly long way to go, but remember: life is nothing except the fight and the moments of regret when we wish we were fighting. Our love of country has brought us together, our love of humanity; so our work will never be done.

And isn’t that the joy of it?

THX you for coming w me this far. Let’s keep going—

mikel