Tomorrow, I am going to be sworn in as the newest member of the US House of Representatives.
It took a lot of people to make that happen, and I wanted to thank everyone in this community for being a part of this victory. I wanted to take a moment to reach out personally and let you know how grateful I am for all that you did to support my campaign.
My race quickly became about more than just a congressional contest from an upstate New York district. The national Republican establishment saw this as a the starting point for turning around the momentum that had begun with President Obama's election.
Well, it didn't turn out that way. Rather, what we heard was a resounding cry of support for our country's new direction.
I'm honored beyond words that the people of my district have chosen me as their representative, and will work as smart and hard as I know how to keep this country on the right path and to bring jobs and opportunity back to my district.
As you can imagine, it's been a roller-coaster ride over the last few weeks, and I'm now focused on getting to work in Washington. I'm incredibly fortunate to have such great colleagues and supporters in Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and I'm looking forward to continuing working with them to move this country in a new, progressive direction.
I also want to acknowledge my opponent Jim Tedisco, for his decades of public service and the commitment he brought to this race. Many of us didn't like the reckless challenging of ballots, but I am thankful that he conceded when it became clear where the vote count was heading, especially in light on what continues to take place in Minnesota. I look forward to working with him in the future.
The pace of the special election didn't allow me time to reach out to Daily Kos as I would have liked, but I was very aware of all the conversation taking place here, and my whole team is extraordinarily grateful for the kind words, the diaries, and the financial support generated by this community. I would not be heading to Washington today without you.
We won a great victory together, but now the real work begins. I pledge to all of you that I'll be active here while I'm working to represent my neighbors in Washington, and to keep you updated on the latest from Washington DC.
Thank you all once again. I'm looking forward to a long and rewarding conversation with you.
Scott