Thank you!

While there are about 100,000 ballots left to be counted in our race, it appears now that Mary Bono Mack has won re-election in California’s 45^th Congressional District.  I congratulate her.

I am sure you will join me in wishing her well, and in the hope that she will return to Washington to work in a truly bipartisan and constructive way with the Democratic majority and President Obama’s administration.

This was a hard-fought campaign, and I am very proud of the effort we made together.  I want to thank my tireless staff, our hundreds of volunteers and the nearly 600 of you who contributed to our campaign for change: you are the essence of any campaign and I appreciate your efforts and support more than I can say.  I am also truly grateful to my husband, Steve Gordon, my sons Loren and Brian Gordon, and my extended family for their love and support.

And I thank all of you for your efforts before and on Election Day.  Your kind words and encouragement sustained me throughout this campaign, and continue to do so now.

I hope all of you will look at this election as I do: Not so much a loss as a point in a process.  Democrats made enormous progress this cycle in our district and all over Riverside County.  We closed the registration gap by more than half, mounted the first-ever comprehensive ground effort and made great gains at the ballot box.

Let’s not stop now!  Let’s work together with our County Chair Betty McMillion and her team, as well as newly elected Assemblyman Manuel Perez, to keep building our party and making Riverside County a better place.  As President-elect Obama said Tuesday night: “This is not the change we seek, it is the opportunity to make that change.”

Thank you all again for everything.

All my best,

Julie