Victory Speech by Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner (D)
VICTORY SPEECH BY FORMER VIRGINIA GOVERNOR MARK WARNER (D)
SUBJECT: WINNING VIRGINIA SENATE SEAT
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MR. WARNER: (Cheers, applause.) Hello, Virginia! Thank you, Governor Kaine. Thank you, Governor Kaine.
AUDIENCE: (Chanting) Warner! Warner! Warner! Warner! Warner! Warner! Warner! Warner! Warner!
MR. WARNER: Thank you. Thank you, Governor Kaine. Thank you, Senator Webb. Thank you, Virginia. And thank you to all of the volunteers who made tonight possible. (Cheers, applause.)
And like Tim and Jim, I hope that we're going to be out here a little while later, when I hope Virginia delivers for Barack Obama, the next president. (Cheers, applause.)
But let me take a moment -- let me take a moment and talk about this Senate race. You know, tonight -- tonight, by a record margin, by a record margin, Virginians said they want their next U.S. senator to focus on results, not rhetoric. (Cheers, applause.) Virginians understand -- Virginians understand at this critical moment for our nation that we're not going to get our country back on the right path if we continue to look at every problem through the old idea of red versus blue or left versus right.
A lot of you have heard me say this before, but the challenges we face are much more about the future versus the past. And as long as we face that future and avoid the political divisions of the past, there is nothing we can't accomplish as Americans first and foremost. (Cheers, applause.)
So tonight -- so tonight this campaign ends, about 18 months after it began --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Amen.
MR. WARNER: Amen to that. You're telling me. (Laughter.) Amen to that. -- based on the premise that we could actually find common ground.
So I am proud to stand before you as your new United States senator from Virginia. (Cheers, applause.)
You know, a little bit earlier tonight, Governor Gilmore called me. And I want to congratulate us on our victory. And I want to thank Governor Gilmore for his public service. I wish he and his family well. (Cheers, applause.)
Before I take a couple more moments, I also want to salute Senator John Warner for his service to our country and to our commonwealth. (Cheers, applause.) You know, politics -- politics is a little funny. My first race, I actually ran against John Warner. But after that, we became great friends. And during my tenure as governor, there was not a single battle, whether it was about the BRAC process or transportation or budget issues, that we didn't -- that we weren't allies on. I got to tell you this: Even though he is leaving the Senate, I will continue to seek out his advice and counsel. He has been a great United States senator. (Cheers, applause.)
You know, over the last 18 months, I've put a lot of miles, crisscrossing Virginia. You know, you hear the same thing over and over again -- folks worried about the fiscal meltdown, worried about whether they're going to have a job, worried about whether they're going to be able to pay their -- pay their mortgage, wondering about their sons or their daughters who may be on their second or third deployment, our veterans coming home wondering whether they're going to get the benefits they were promised. But at the same time, I've heard time and again that Virginians are ready to do their part if we have the right leadership and we will provide the right leadership for this country and for this commonwealth. (Cheers, applause.)
And I'm ready to get to work. (Cheers, applause.)
You know, I think I might have the right experience. You all may recall my first two years as governor I spent a lot of time trying to dig Virginia out of a fiscal ditch left over by a Republican administration. (Cheers, applause.) You know, that may be the best training possible for a United States senator come January of 2009. (Cheers, applause.) But we did dig Virginia out of a ditch, and Virginia was named the best-managed state in the nation. It was named the best state for business. (Cheers, applause.) And we can do the same thing and make America the most competitive nation in the world if we do it together. (Cheers, applause.)
AUDIENCE: (Chanting) Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
MR. WARNER: And with all of the recent excesses on Wall Street, I don't know about you, but it might be time to send a few more senators up there that can actually read a balance sheet. (Cheers, applause.)
And if there was ever an opportunity to turn a challenge into a chance for this country to succeed, think about energy, where there shouldn't be a Democratic or Republican answer. Why couldn't we go out -- give you just one quick example, what I've been talking about on the campaign trail. Why couldn't we go out to our auto industry -- because I want there to be a domestic auto industry 10 years from now -- and say this: We'll give you a guaranteed three-year purchase from every level of government -- local government, state government, federal government. Here's what you got to do. You got to produce a vehicle that will go a hundred miles per gallon. (Cheers, applause.) Plug-in hybrids. Electrics. And it's got to be using American technology and built by American workers! (Cheers, applause.)
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
MR. WARNER: Yes, we can.
And think about this. Think about this. Come January of 2009, come January of 2009, with a President Barack Obama -- (cheers, applause) -- I'm looking forward to the day when Americans are once again viewed as the good guys and that our country is once again the most respected in the world. (Cheers, applause.)
We got a lot of challenges. We've got a lot of challenges. But what I think is the most quintessential American value is when we turn challenges into opportunities. Are you ready to go to work and make that happen? (Cheers, applause.)
Tonight, tonight I want to take the last couple of moments and say some thank yous. You know, doing public life, being a governor and then taking a run for Senate, sometimes kind of challenging; sometimes you scratch your head. I could not do that without the love and support of my family. And I'd like to thank my wife, Lisa -- (cheers, applause) -- and my three great daughters, Madison, Gillian and Eliza. Thank you very, very much. (Cheers, applause.)
And let me assure you, with three teenage daughters, anytime I hear a lot of good things said about me, I come home and I get immediately brought back to ground, so. (Laughter.)
Let me also thank all of my friends -- and there's so many friends here tonight, a lot of my personal friends who don't even like politics. (Laughter.) But time and again, they stepped up for me over the years. And I am grateful for your friendship and support.
I want to thank our great, great governor, my friend from 28 years, who does a great job for us, the co-chairman of the Obama for Change Campaign, our great governor, Tim Kaine. (Cheers, applause.)
And I want to thank -- and I know he's right over there -- Senator, let me get used to this. I want to thank the senior senator from the commonwealth of Virginia -- (laughter, cheers) -- somebody who has fought hard for veterans to make sure they get the care they deserve, our friend, Jim Webb. (Cheers, applause.)
And I know some of the congressional districts are out, but I think very shortly we're going to add more Democratic members to our House delegation. (Cheers, applause.) So hopefully we're going to see those results come through.
Those of you who've worked with me know that I can sometimes be a little challenging. Right, Janet?
MS. : Right.
MR. WARNER: So I want to say publicly -- I want to say a great thanks to the incomparable campaign manager I've had, Mike Henry and our whole campaign staff and all the volunteers. (Cheers, applause.)
And then again, to the tens of thousands of volunteers who've knocked on the doors, made the phone calls and helped turn out this record turnout today, thank you, thank you, thank you. (Cheers, applause.)
To my fellow Democrats, we have come a long way in eight years. (Cheers, applause.) But tonight's victory -- tonight's victory wasn't just about Democrats, because just as we've got things done in Virginia, we've always found a way to get common ground. An awful lot of independents and Republicans supported this effort as well, distinguished Republican former legislators like John Chichester -- (cheers, applause) -- and Vince Callahan has been here all evening and Russ Potts. (Applause.)
This campaign as well had over 600 local elected officials, board of supervisor members, sheriffs, treasurers, clerks. And over half of those local elected officials were independents and Republicans. I thank you for your support as well. (Cheers, applause.)
Our campaign gained the support of law enforcement and teachers. We got any teachers here tonight? (Cheers.) We got any firefighters in the crowd here tonight? We got any folks from organized labor here tonight? (Cheers.) We managed to put together a coalition that had both labor and business support, and I'm grateful for that.
Let me just close with this. And I know it's getting a little warm in here. It's warm up here; I can imagine what it is down there. When I ran for governor, there were an awful lot of folks who took a chance on my campaign not just here in my home in Northern Virginia, but particularly all across rural Virginia. And tonight, in communities all over southwest Virginia and southside Virginia, and across the Shenandoah Valley and the Eastern Shore, folks turned out again in record numbers for our campaign. (Cheers, applause.) Because my belief is, in the global economy, in a 21st-century economy, you shouldn't have to leave your hometown to find a world- class job. To all of those folks in rural Virginia, I didn't forget you as governor; I promise I will not forget you as senator. (Cheers, applause.)
It's been a long campaign. It's been a long campaign. I thank you for what you have done. This is one more step to get our country back in the right direction. I think we'll be back a little bit later with some more great news at the congressional level and the presidential level. Come January of 2009, we're going to get this country headed in the right direction.
Thank you, God bless you, God bless America and the Commonwealth of Virginia. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you all. (Cheers, applause.)
END.
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