The primary election results are in and I didn’t make it.
I apologize for the delay in getting this out. I actually thought I had sent it weeks ago.
Eleven months after I filed to run for the Democratic nomination for County Council in District One and sixteen months after I began to seriously explore a run for office, the race came to an end.
In an eight candidate race, I finished seventh. Andrew Friedson, the candidate that raised the most money, won convincingly. We had fifteen candidate forums and maintained a cordial and friendly relationship among all the candidates throughout the campaign. I got along well with Andrew personally, but we did disagree on some big issues.
It was an adventure and I have absolutely no regrets. I met some wonderful people and it clearly changed the relationship Donna and I have with our community. We made friends that will continue beyond the election and beyond politics.
I entered the race with very little footprint in the county beyond my neighborhood and my church and yet was able to raise enough money from Montgomery County donors to qualify for public financing. That happened by knocking on a lot of doors. One of my opponents, a lifelong resident of the county, was not.
I made some rookie mistakes. I want to thank my wonderful wife, Donna. Much of what we did right in the campaign was her idea. There are bunches of other people to thank for your encouragement and support. You kept me motivated.
Donna and Jim
We will return to a new normal – Donna to her art and me to my job and to the effort to win single payer/Medicare for all health care. Today (written on 7/27) I will be joining a three day conference about winning affordable medications.
I will continue to work for a greener, healthier Montgomery County that supports working families. There are many hardworking groups that are helping to move pieces of that agenda and I will need to discover my role.
We need to get money out of politics and change the national dialogue. We need to reintroduce and rediscover compassion for our fellow human beings in this country and around the world. It is not enough to love America. We need to show love to all Americans. I say that in the sense of the post 911 world when the rest of the world acknowledged – “We are all Americans.”
Meanwhile Donna and I have a year of neglected housework and yard work to catch up on.
Thank you so much. Our work continues.
