Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds has released a statement congratulating his Republican opponent, Bob McDonnell, on winning Virginia’s gubernatorial election. Here’s the full text:
“I have said from the beginning that this election is about Virginia’s future, about bringing opportunity, prosperity, and hope to every corner of the Commonwealth.
“Tonight, I’m humbled and gratified by the support and hard work that so many voters and volunteers statewide have brought to this campaign.
“Virginia is an extraordinary place–in its diversity, in the achievements of its people over 400 years of history, and in the opportunity it offers to all of us. I have loved traveling around the Commonwealth and meeting the men and women who make it such a wonderful place to live.
“I congratulate my opponent, Bob McDonnell, and I look forward to maintaining my longstanding record of reaching across the aisle and working together to create workable solutions for the challenges we face. I hope that Bob McDonnell [and Bill Bolling] [and Ken Cuccinelli] and all Democrats and Republicans will join me in that commitment.
“There are a lot of people that I have to thank for the enormous strides we made in this campaign, and that starts with my family.
“My wife, Pam, who has been so supportive of our effort to bring opportunity to every corner of the commonwealth, and who’s checked a lot of homework in the last eighteen years as I’ve commuted back and forth from Richmond.
“My children–Amanda, Becca, Susannah, and Gus. I have to thank them not only for dealing with endless road trips and crazy schedule but also for being my reason–for reminding me why I got into public service in the first place: to build a better Virginia for their future, with more opportunities and options than I had and with every tool they needed to succeed at hand.
“And I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my staff and our army of volunteers. And especially the more than 6,000 volunteers who took to the phones and the streets today to turn out the vote. I am in awe at the hours they have worked and the effort they have poured into every day of this campaign. To everyone who made a phone call, stuffed an envelope, held up a sign at a rally, hosted an event, knocked on a door, brought food to hungry volunteers, or brought voters to their polling places: you have my deepest gratitude.
“And to my staff in Charlottesville and Alexandria and in field offices across the state, the best team I could have asked to have behind me. People have said that my campaigns are ‘always underestimated, never outworked’–and they have more than proved that. I could not have done this without them behind me.
“Thanks also to President Obama, the Democratic Party of Virginia, the Democratic Governors Association, the men and women of organized labor, and to Governor Tim Kaine and the Democratic National Committee, and the many local chapters and party players who have been with us every step of the way: thank you. We have worked as hard that we could and run the best race that we could.
“I wish tonight’s results were different. But now is not the time for bitterness, or retreat into our partisan corners–it’s time to overcome that disappointment with our determination to build a better Virginia, together.
“In some two decades of public service, your friendship and support in this race has been among the greatest honors I have been given. I am eager to continue to serve Virginia and keep the Commonwealth moving forward. This chapter is closed, but the next has yet to be written.
“God bless us all, and God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
