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
