The following is a statement released by Jess Phoenix on her campaign Facebook page:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. The going was tough, and the tough kept going. Our true grassroots campaign weathered pernicious attacks, a shoestring budget, and a staff stretched so thin it hurt at times. We kept our gaze focused on what sustained us: changing a system bloated by the glut of money, and working to keep our promise to the people of California’s 25th district that we wouldn’t go negative, and that we would focus on the issues. We did those things, so I have no regrets.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have met all of you through this process. You saw me hit obstacle after obstacle, and for those of you who came to support me in spite of the absence of typical campaign trappings, I am even more grateful. I would name you all individually, but there are, quite literally, thousands of you. That has been the real revelation of the last 415 days for me.
Your support buoyed me through vitriolic attacks that I wouldn’t have had the strength to withstand on my own. It was you. It was all you. It was always you. You, friends, are why I decided to run. In a time when so many are suffering so much, the world needs hopeful points of light to reach for, to hold close. I was optimistic that I could help create one here, in our community. I was wrong. I couldn’t.
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That’s because those points of light already existed. There are thousands of them here, in every one of you who has stepped in to defend others from bullying, harassment, or hate. They are in every young person who devotes time to improving their community. They are in every one of you who still holds that flicker of hope in your heart that yes, it will get better, that the festering division you sense in our nation can be repaired.
So many of you have given me so much. I’ve listened to your stories. To the woman whose husband was taken from their home and detained, leaving their children without a father and their family without an income, I’m sorry I couldn’t fix it. To the young woman who saw herself reflected in me, as a scientist, a member of the LGBTQ community, and someone invested in politics, I’m sorry I couldn’t live up to your expectations. To the woman unable to afford the right medications to treat her chronic illness, I’m sorry I can’t heal you or our broken healthcare system.
To run a public, national-scale campaign is to see the very best and very worst of both yourself and of others. I can say unequivocally I have seen the worst of people, and the best, and the best is stronger. For years, I have said that ignorance is the disease, and curiosity is the cure. We must all feed the fires of curiosity that come standard in young ones of our species. We must model that curiosity in our adult lives. If you disagree with someone, ask them why they believe what they do. Then, wait and listen.
Injustice, intolerance, and ignorance extinguish the fires of curiosity. Open the door of dialogue and let oxygen fill the room. Our future depends on it.
I’m going to taking several days to recharge and reorient after over a year of putting my life on hold. If I don’t respond directly to you, or if I’m not available, please don’t take it personally. This campaign has required a good deal of mental, physical and emotional expenditure. I’ll be taking my animals to their vet checkups, working on projects around the house, playing softball, and reading. Carlos and I may even get some time as married people instead of campaign colleagues. Wonders never cease.
I will remember this experience for the rest of my life, thanks to you all. We created something from nothing, and that is no small feat. Just like when I’m on an expedition in the most remote reaches of the planet and everything goes wrong in an instant, there were countless times over the course of the campaign when I reminded myself of one thing:
This will make one hell of a story.
I’m glad you were part of it.
Love,
Jess
“This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!”
– C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
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