Dear Friends,

As I sit here listening to the rain and drinking my second cup of coffee this morning, I'm reminded of a quote I discovered when I turned 50:

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. —Robert Byrne

Throughout this campaign, each of us found a purpose — some of us put our talents to good use on a daily basis, whether it was knocking on doors or phone banking; others of us pitched in whenever we had spare time to enter data or fold and stuff. Yet each of us gave what we could, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for each task you completed. We never could have come as far as we did without your dedication and perseverance.

This race is not over. (Pa. House control hinges on Chester County race.) We are 19 votes down, but we're not out. Some absentee and provisional ballots need to be counted by Voter Services and added into the totals. If I am meant to serve the people of the 156th, then it will happen. I firmly believe that.

I just want to thank each of you for your energy, enthusiasm, and belief in the democratic process. Without you, the purpose of this campaign could not have been fully realized.

Much love,
Barb

Posted by Barbara McIlvaine Smith at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Today's all-star Democratic rally at Kerr Park in Downingtown was a highlight of this campaign season. Under a beautiful sunny blue sky, Barb mounted the steps of the bandstand to deliver a rousing speech of thanks and encouragement to hundreds of supporters. She was preceded and followed by a galaxy of Democratic stars, from State Senator Andy Dinniman to former Vice President Al Gore.

Speaker after speaker was met with cheers, chants and loud applause from the crowd. Governor Rendell, as always, was a popular speaker; but the biggest reactions were for U.S. Senate candidate Bob Casey and Vice President Gore.

Along with the cheers, the crisp Fall air carried the unmistakable smell of victory, as one candidate and one speaker after another recounted how well Pennsylvania Democrats have been doing. At the same time, there were urgent appeals not to fall back and rest at this critical time, but to work even harder in the last few days in the Get-Out-The-Vote effort which will give us our margin of victory.

As Barb said afterwards, the rally made you feel that this was "a great day to be a Democrat in Chester County."

The rally was heavily covered by TV, radio and local newspapers, so if you weren't able to be there, look for coverage of it soon.

Posted by Campaign Webmaster at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)