Remarks as prepared for delivery November 4, 2008:
Thank you! And thank you for everything you have done throughout this long campaign.
Today the people of New Hampshire spoke at the ballot box and said loud and clear – they want a new direction!
New Hampshire voters said today they want a Senator who will be a strong, independent voice.
New Hampshire voters said today they want a Senator who will stand up to the special interests, a Senator and who will fight for middle class families! And I am going to be that Senator!
I want to thank, and all of New Hampshire should thank, John Sununu for his 12 years of service in Washington. I also want to acknowledge the sacrifice his family has made so that he could serve in public office.
I want to congratulate John Lynch, Paul Hodes and Carol-Shea Porter for their victories tonight.
Let me introduce my family. Billy, Stefany, Stacey, Molly, Craig, Ryan. This campaign has been a real family affair. Thank you all for your support and love.
Like everyone in this room tonight, I am so pleased that it looks like Barack Obama will be our next President. I look forward to working with Barack Obama to change the direction of this country – to get our economy back on track,, to expand affordable health care, to free us from foreign oil, and to end this misguided war in Iraq.
But I will never hesitate to disagree with my party or the President to do what’s right for New Hampshire.
I am humbled by the trust the people of New Hampshire have placed in me.
People like Frank, an unemployed worker in Salem, who sent our campaign $100 with a letter saying his family had cut back on groceries for three weeks so they could contribute. Frank wrote that he felt the middle class had been abandoned. All his family wanted, he said, was "a fair shake from our government."
And, Cheryl, the owner of a small business in Tilton, who told me she can no longer afford to provide health insurance for her employees.
And, Richard, who lost his job of 43 years when the paper mill in Groveton closed. Richard asked me, "Now what I am supposed to do?"
Tonight we made history. This is a night of firsts for our country and our state. I'm proud to have been New Hampshire's first female Governor, and I am honored that tonight you have chosen me as your first female Senator. But that’s not why I ran. I ran to be an advocate for Frank, Cheryl and Richard, and all the people across New Hampshire, who have struggled the last eight years. I promise you I will get up every day and do everything I can to make Washington work for middle class families again.
In the Senate, I’ll work to get our economy back on track creating good jobs -- investing in infrastructure and job training, closing down tax loopholes for giant corporations that ship jobs overseas, restoring fiscal responsibility and fighting for tax cuts for the middle class.
I will push for a smart energy policy that frees us from dependence on foreign oil, reverses global warming and creates good jobs right here in New Hampshire.
And I’ll stand up to the big drug companies and insurance companies so we can make affordable health care to every American.
I will fight for a foreign policy that restores America’s standing in the world – because that’s what makes us strong, a policy that focuses on the real threat of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that ends this misguided war in Iraq.
We may not always agree, but I will always listen to you. The doors to my senate office will always be open to New Hampshire families and small businesses.
The challenges we face as a nation are great, but I have no doubt we are up to the task. Today we turned the page on a disappointing chapter in America’s history. Tomorrow the hard work of beginning to rebuild the nation we all love so much. But tonight, let’s celebrate.
Thank you very, very much.