[Cross-posted, with minor edits, at Prairie State Blue]
This past Wednesday night, our campaign held a Young Professionals event. Thanks to the terrific leadership of co-chairs Alex Armour and Emily Loh, along with the participation of Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Debra Shore and Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, (not to mention georgia10's discussion of the event here at Daily Kos) we had an incredible turnout of 200-250 people!
A lot of Chicagoland Kossacks were present, and I just wanted to put up a quick wrap-up diary thanking you. My one regret was that Georgia couldn't be there -- apparently traffic and last-minute work assignments got in the way.
Whenever you put on an event like that, you can't help but spend some time holding your breath and wondering if anyone's going to show up. So I can say that I was genuinely relieved when the room started filling up before the event was even scheduled to begin.
This was the last major campaign event of 2007, and it seems like an appropriate time to reflect a bit on where the campaign is, how far we've come, and how much we have left to accomplish.
It's been amazing ride so far: I can't quite put into words how humbled I am by the enthusiastic support folks have shown already. From the 80+ petition circulators, to the hundreds of other volunteers, to the (now well over) 1,000 individuals who've contributed to the campaign so far, you've simply blown me away.
This enthusiasm among activists throughout the district has been matched by a buzz among Illinois political insiders, fueled in part by our national coverage (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Georgia's piece here at Daily Kos).
The netroots have been critical throughout this process, from the on-the-ground organizing to the national press. That's incredibly gratifying to me: I believe that we're sitting at an absolutely crucial moment in Illinois and American politics, one that demands new ideas as well as a new political infrastructure. My dream is for this candidacy to simultaneously strengthen that infrastructure while making it an essential part of the campaign.
It's important to remember, though, that most voters in our district (or in any district) aren't political activists. As humbling as it's been to be embraced by the progressive activist community, that's just the first step. The next step -- which is already under way -- is going to be harder: over the next year, we have to fan out across the district and transform that energy into enough votes to win this race.
From what I've seen so far, I have every confidence that we'll be able to make that happen. Thank you for all you've done already, and thank you for your continued commitment. As bleak as our political situation can sometimes feel, I actually think this is an extremely exciting time to be a progressive: we're finally positioned to change our state and our country.