Selected Campaign Thank Yous

As campaigns have wound down candidates, both those who met success at the ballot box, and those who did not, are sending out thanks you emails to supporters. Here is a selection of messages that I received or were sent to me:

Patrick Murphy (congressman, 8th district)

From the bottom my heart thank you all so much.

It has been quite a fight and I'd like to say a special thank you to all the volunteers and to everyone who supported me throughout the years.

You put your hopes and hearts in my hands -and for that I will be more grateful then I can ever express or you will ever realize.

The fight to change the direction of our country will be long and hard. And whether as a Captain in the United States Army, a Prosecutor, an elected official, a husband or a father, I will never back down on my pledge to fight for the greatness that I believe this country can achieve. I hope no matter what happens, I’ll still make you proud.

I am honored to continue this fight with all of you in this community, which we all love so much.

My faith in America, and in all of you, will never fade.

Joe Sestak (congressman, 7th district, candidate for senate)

As I write this, I know I will never be able to express the level of admiration I have for every one of you who supported me -- and our principles -- so selflessly over this (and, for so many, other) campaign(s).

I am in awe of your caring and desire for a better future. Anyone who doesn't have faith in that, did not have the wonderful opportunity to know you.

Please accept my deepest respect, the knowledge that I am so very indebted to you, and the commitment to always return your belief in me by striving to better what our youth will inherit -- as every generation in America has done.

Thank you, for always!

Dr. Manan Trivedi (candidate, 6th congressional district)

Please forgive me for taking a day to send this to you. Yesterday I decided to do something I have wanted to do for the last 6 months: Spend the entire day with my family. It really brings everything into perspective. And it is my family I want to thank first. To my amazing wife, Surekha and my absolutely adorable daughter Sonia; you have been so supportive and understanding throughout this entire campaign. I love you both.

When we began this campaign fourteen months ago, it was hard to find any of the press, pundits or Washington insiders who thought that a brown kid from Berks County with a funny sounding name and no money in the political coffers would make it very far. Throughout the race, we were met with many obstacles, but we didn't let them get us down. We never gave up because you and only you were there at each and every step of the way. You helped us overcome so much and I will be forever grateful to you for that.

So while the end results of this election were not what we had hoped for, our work is not over. There is certainly a lot that needs to be changed in Washington and we cannot let one election stand in our way.

The folks in Congress still need to regain the public's trust, so while there are so many people struggling in this economy, they should lead by example and take a pay cut when the new session begins.

Congress must put forth every effort to get our nation back to work and they need to do it without loading up legislation with unnecessary pork spending. As a physician, I know that our health care system is imperfect and that we must do everything possible to ensure that every American has accessible and affordable coverage.

And as a battalion surgeon during the Iraq War, I will never stop fighting for veterans and their families. They make our nation stronger each day and we must honor them for their service.

I promise to never give up the pursuit to change how Washington works and I hope you will too. Do it for whatever reason motivates you. For me it is the story of my father coming to this country in the 1960's and working his way through school in the back of hotel kitchens of the segregated South. He did because he believed in an American dream that you would be rewarded for your hard work and merits, not on the color of your skin, your family's last name or the wealth that may come from it. I will never forget my father's pursuit and I will certainly never allow his vision to die.

It is my father's story and the stories I have heard from so many of you in the diners, the coffee shops, the train stations and your homes that made me realize one truly significant thing during this campaign: We all share a common thread. From the Steelworker to the social worker - from the small business owner with a new start-up to the small child starting school - whether you're white, black, brown or shades in between - or if your name is as familiar as Smith or even if it sounds as unusual as Trivedi, America is about fairness and it is up to only us to do everything in our power to ensure its continued existence.

I thank you again for everything you have done to support this endeavor and I look forward to carrying on our fight for fairness.

Bryan Lentz (161st state house, candidate for 7th congressional district)

I want to express my sincerest appreciation for all of your support of the campaign. Your financial contributions, your donated time, and your words of encouragement helped us become one of the most competitive races in the country. While Tuesday’s results were not what we had worked for there are still reasons to be hopeful as we move forward.

In the last year we created one of the most efficient and effective operations in the history of the 7th District and left a legacy of coordinated Democratic activism in Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester counties. In the three days leading up to the election our campaign went to over 120,000 households to promote the entire Democratic ticket but despite these historic efforts we were unable to hold these seats in the toxic electoral climate.

I want to publicly thank my dedicated and motivated staff for their incredible commitment to this campaign and its ideals. I want to thank my family for their support and sacrifices during this last year and I also want to thank Pat Meehan for a spirited campaign. I wish Pat great success in his new role as our Congressman.

Allyson Schwartz (congresswoman, 13st district, re-elected)

n one of the toughest electoral climates in decades, you helped me win a resounding victory on Tuesday, and I want to say thank you. My district is just 52 percent Democratic and 12 percent Independent, but yet on Tuesday, Democrats, Independents and Republicans joined together to give me a strong 12 point victory.

We knew we were up against a very difficult political environment, and against an aggressive candidate who poured over $500,000 of his own dollars into the race.

But, we ran a smart, door to door campaign and pulled off a powerful win, winning both Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County.

Given my swing district, it took our collective efforts over the last several months to touch as many voters as possible through as many avenues as we could.

Tuesday night we celebrated a 12 point victory thanks to you, and the efforts of the countless volunteers and supporters. You helped us to get out the vote and ensured that we had the resources necessary to run the biggest, strongest campaign since I was first ran for Congress in 2004. I could not have done it without you.

Now, I return to Washington to continue fighting for you, just as you have fought for me – to grow private sector jobs, protect health reform, reduce our deficit, and make sure that economic recovery and future economic opportunities reach all of our families.

In the new Congress, I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle – as I always have – to meet the challenges we face as a nation. But, do know that I will stand up and speak out when I need to promote our core values.

I hope that you will stay involved. Keep in touch with my political activities and my work in Congress on my website and through Facebook.

Once again, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Ruth Damsker (candidate, 12th state senate)

Over the past several months, we have waged a determined campaign to change the way Harrisburg does business. Given the national political climate, it was particularly challenging. However, we succeeded in putting issues on the agenda and building toward further success in the future. I am grateful to you for sharing your time, talent, and treasury in support of my campaign.

When I spoke with Senator Greenleaf on Tuesday night, I wished him well and made it known that I will continue to work for the continued improvement of our Commonwealth.

Please stay in touch with me and remain engaged in the political process. Your involvement will make the difference in the future as we continue the effort to improve our State.

Rick Taylor (incumbent, 151st state house district)

I first ran for office to make sure that our most vulnerable have a voice. Corporations and special interest groups have plenty of lobbyists, and I have held myself to a simple principle: give a voice to the little guy and let us hear the every day citizen.

At the end of this long campaign, I am saddened that I will no longer be that voice for you in Harrisburg. Through this disappointment, I’m also overwhelmed with gratitude. I am in awe of how hard you worked to allow me to continue representing you in the 151st District.

This campaign was built by the hard work of all my supporters, volunteers, staff, friends, and family. To you, I am forever in your debt. Thank you for working so hard. Please feel free to give me a call and let me know if there is anything I can ever do to help you.

Shannon P. Meehan (candidate, 163rd state house)

My deepest gratitude...

Friends—

After some much-needed rest, I wanted to take the time to thank you for all you have done for me and my campaign over the eight months. Although we came up short last Tuesday, we accomplished extraordinary things, and I am incredibly proud of the work we were able to do with your support.

As a first time candidate, campaigning was all new to me. I was told there would be hard work and long hours, but I never expected the positive feedback I received from voters—of all political affiliations—and the overwhelming support of people like you. Because of your contributions—financial, time, energy, and words of encouragement—we were able to do all that could be done leading up to this election.

Over the past eight months, we knocked on almost 10,000 doors, built a strong grassroots organization, and fought hard against the Republican establishment. While we were not successful this time, I hope that you stay involved in local politics and continue to support our Democratic candidates.

Josh Shapiro (153rd state house, re-elected)

I'm writing to simply say, thank you.

With your help along with thousands of volunteers and donors, we were able to mount a strong campaign and win reelection to the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives. In a competitive district and facing strong political headwinds, we received 70 percent of the vote. I'm grateful to the more than 17,000 voters--Democrats, Republicans and Independents--in Abington and Upper Dublin who again entrusted me with their vote.

You're sending me back to Harrisburg to continue our efforts to create jobs, reform state government, improve education and much more. I'm ready for that fight, but Harrisburg will look different next year. We'll have a new Republican Governor and the Republicans will control the House and the Senate. I won't be afraid to cross the aisle to work with them to advance our goals but I also won't be afraid to stand up to them respectfully when we disagree. The political circumstances in the Capitol may be different but I'll be working for you with the same energy and determination.

I hope you'll keep up with our efforts on Facebook and Twitter and stay in touch by email.

Thanks again for your outstanding support.