Tonight we celebrate

Tonight we celebrate. We’ve invested our time and energies, walked hundreds of miles, knocked on thousands of doors, circulated petitions, made uncountable phone calls, delivered literature and yard signs, hosted candidates and events. We’ve had long days sometimes followed by sleepless nights, then we’ve done it all over again.

We have registered new voters, welcoming them to this exasperating yet magnificent thing called democracy. We have voted and relentlessly encouraged all of our neighbors to do likewise. We have embraced the promises that were gifted to us by our predecessors, and we have worked to maintain and improve those ideals to make them even better for our successors.

We have seen our dedication challenged by those who seek to corrupt the process; but by our constant exercise of our belief in the rightness of our cause we have answered those challenges with renewed and determined strength. They have confirmed the value of who we are by trying to buy what they cannot otherwise win. We walk our talk, and no amount of dark money can take that from us.

There are those among us who have stood in the crossfire on our behalf, and we honor them. They persevere and endure the sometimes unspeakable in their willingness to serve, and in so doing they honor us. It is proper that we revel in standing shoulder to shoulder with such as these.

So, yes, tonight we celebrate. We celebrate who we are.