Ms. Deplorable

Almost half the votes remain uncounted in our race, and the final margin will narrow as those votes are tallied. But the ultimate result will not change. We fought as hard as we possibly could. As of mid-September, polling showed we had a 6-point lead. And the race remained competitive up until the very end. Yet at the end of the day, the headwinds were too strong: the nation’s most extreme gerrymander focused specifically on our district; the biggest wave election in half a century; millions and millions in outside spending. I’m proud of the race we ran. We had to fight back, and we did, harder than anyone expected, forcing our opponents to pull out all the stops in the final weeks. We are leading in the areas I currently represent, and that lead will grow considerably with the late ballots. Extrapolating those results, if there were no Prop. 50 we would likely have won and been the only non-Democrat in the country elected in a district that competitive. I’m tremendously grateful for the privilege I’ve had to represent our state and country. I’m grateful I’ve had the chance fight for things that are genuinely important. Most of all, I’m grateful for you. I have the very best supporters anywhere. What’s next for me? Most importantly, I’m looking forward to becoming a dad later this month. Chelsee and I are blessed to be expecting a baby girl very soon. I will continue to fight for getting California back on track in any way I can. As for public life, I do believe there will be another chapter. I don’t know what it will be, or when. But I don’t think this is the end of the story. I love our area, I love our state, I love our country, and I love all of you. We’ll be back.