Thank you all for your support and your faith in this Democratic process by voting and participating so fully in this campaign. It is disappointing to put this much effort into something that we all firmly believe in to lose by a small margin. But that small margin has moved the needle and shown those that come after me that Belgrade has tremendous promise and the labels that people put upon our lovely city don’t represent our true talent.

While Jedediah Hinkle will serve as our representative in Montana State Legislature, it remains our responsibility to hold him accountable to the needs of the many, not a small margin of people with loud voices and fringe ideas. Public health is a good example of this. In January, I visited Valley Forge, the site of the first mass inoculation against Smallpox by General George Washington. That kept the troops strong enough to endure a brutal winter and win the Revolutionary War. We see these same sacrifices in other ways. We give up certain liberties to ensure freedom for many. I know that my stance on the full rights of women is rejected by some, but we can only reach our full potential when all members of society have full rights. I am willing to defend the rights of all. Our great society deserves better than to be guided by the fringe.

Please join me to keep our state government accountable to the people. So, let’s stay in touch. Let’s move forward incrementally if that’s what we need to do. We have proven so much in this campaign that I would like to keep us moving forward. Please join me in that endeavor testifying for the rights of us all in the upcoming legislative session.