One Loss, No Regrets, and Many Thanks

While the Miles Grant for Delegate campaign came up short at the polls on Primary Day, our successes will outlive one short election cycle. We ran the grassroots campaign we wanted to run, on the progressive issues we wanted to highlight, with a new team of experienced volunteers and political newcomers. And until Democrats take back the House of Delegates, we address our climate & energy crises, and Virginia grants marriage rights for all, we know our job isn’t done.

For now, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped along the way. I wish I could thank everyone here by name, but if you donated a single dollar, knocked on one door, or told one neighbor to vote for me, I’m incredibly grateful for your support.

There are three people I do want to single out. Quite simply, I couldn’t have done this without them:

• Lauren Uranga, campaign treasurer. Keeping the books doesn’t begin to describe Lauren’s contributions to our campaign. She organized events, designed every campaign handout and mailing, and coordinated all our print jobs. On good days or bad, Lauren also made sure to greet everyone with a smile, creating good will for the campaign and keeping volunteers coming back.
  
  
• Kip Malinosky, field director. If I didn’t count Kip as a friend, I would never have been able to run in the first place. He’s Arlington’s most dedicated canvasser and knocked on literally thousands of doors for the candidates he believed in this year.
  
  
• Josh Anderson, data director. Josh spent countless hours managing our voter lists, first cutting our canvassing turf and printing the lists, then entering the data gathered by our volunteers. I consider Josh to be a true rising star among Arlington campaign operatives. He’ll be an incredibly valuable asset to any progressive campaign he chooses to work for.

Major thanks go to all the canvassers who helped us on so many weekends through good weather and bad, especially Brian Devine, Chris Gill, Amaka Gossett, Greg Lee, Shawn Logue, Clare McIntyre, Matt Konjoian, David Pierpont, Alexandra Ritchie, and Daniel Weir. I also owe a debt of gratitude to people and groups like Jon Bowerbank, the Virginia Sierra Club, and the Virginia Partisans (especially Charley Conrad and Tiffany Joslyn) who were willing to take a chance on endorsing a first-time candidate.

Finally, thanks to my fellow bloggers like Ben Tribbett of Not Larry Sabato and Lowell Feld of Blue Virginia, who’ve stood behind me from the very beginning. I may not be a candidate anymore, but I’m looking forward to having time to be The Green Miles again.

Thank you again for all your support!