The following is an excerpt from a gracious letter from Kensington Councilman Al Carr, who fell short in his bid to become a delegate this year:
There are still absentee ballots and provisional ballots to be counted and added to the totals. However, it is unlikely that the result will change.Jeff Waldstreicher also sent out an email claiming victory:
I believe that everything happens for a reason. This was not the right time for me, but I am confident that opportunities to serve lie ahead. I am grateful for all I have learned and the many friends I have made.
The campaign was fast-paced and took on a life of its own. We lived and breathed District 18 for five months. Whether playing at Wheaton Regional Park, shopping at Chevy Chase Supermarket or Sunday breakfast at Parkway Deli it seems we were always working the campaign into our everyday life.
There were lots of laughs, some tears and memories we will cherish (although Barrie just reminded me that we forgot to get a picture of the infamous Carr mobile that was sighted throughout District 18 - not only did our Volvo station wagon have Carr large campaign sign magnets and bumper stickers, our large storage bin atop the car was shrink-wrapped with the campaign logo. You knew when we arrived).
We could hear in four year old Miles' words that he had absorbed the campaign lingo. Today he mentioned to me "Daddy, Ike won and so did Ike Leggett. Does that mean we all won?". I responded "Yes Miles, we all won."
I have telephoned each of the District 18 Delegate candidates to offer my congratulations and express my gratitude. Everyone in this race had something to offer. As my dear friend and huge supporter Sean McMullen said, The voters of District 18 had an embarrassment of riches.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who supported me. It was a team effort.
Thank you so much for your hard work over the last five months. We started this campaign as the underdog, but you worked harder than anyone else, and you rallied behind our Education First platform. That hard work and that intense focus on improving our schools is what led us to victory on Tuesday.I was surprised Jeff didn't wait a little longer to claim victory since the ballots have not all been tallied. However, as I argued in a previous post, the full count is unlikely to change the outcome. The absentee ballots extended Jeff's victory over Dan Farrington by another 13 votes. It would be surprising if the provisional ballots had a sharply different effect.
I am deeply humbled by the overwhelming support I received from each precinct in District 18. We did incredibly well across the entire District, including Chevy Chase, Kensington,Wheaton and Silver Spring. I promise that I will work tirelessly to represent this entire district with the same style of progressive leadership of those who came before me, including Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Sharon Grosfeld.
A good number of public officials have called to congratulate our efforts and applaud our push for a progressive agenda in Annapolis. Please know that these congrats are as much yours as they are mine. I was honored to accept congratulatory calls from Del. Richard Madeleno, Del. Jane Lawton, Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez and Mayor Martin O'Malley's office, among many others. I am profoundly honored that my name will appear alongside theirs in the General Election come November.
Joanna and I will be taking a moment to catch our breath and enjoy this victory. But our hard work does not end here. I intend to work just as diligently over the next two months as I did over the past five to make sure our next Governor is Martin O'Malley and our next Senator is Ben Cardin. Our unity is our strength. I hope you will join me in working hard for these two incredible leaders and the rest of our Democratic ticket.
Again, thank you so much for your support. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve you in Annapolis and excited to put our shared values into action.
