On Nov. 4, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) delivered remarks via livestream to supporters following Tuesday’s election. You can watch video of her remarks by clicking here; below is the text of her remarks as prepared for delivery:
Like many of you, I am closely watching the election returns. And although we can’t be certain until every single vote is counted, at this hour I have strong confidence that we will succeed here in the 8th District.
I want to appreciate my opponents, Paul Junge and Joe Hartman. I know very well that stepping up to seek public office is not an easy decision, and I appreciate their willingness to enter the democratic arena.
Thank you to chief of staff Mela Louise Norman, to Legislative Director Danielle Most, District Director Alexa Stannard, and my entire congressional staff, for helping build the record of bipartisan accomplishment that powered our campaign. I am grateful for what you do every day for the people of the 8th District.
Thank you to my campaign staff, led by campaign manager Matt Hennessey and my communications director Gordon Trowbridge, who helped navigate a campaign during COVID, including the absence of 50,000 MSU students in our district, with creativity and strong leadership.
Thank you to the more than 1,600 volunteers and countless supporters who gave their time, their sweat, their shoe leather, and their hard-earned dollars to support us. Our campaign and its success are a direct reflection of you. Thank you.
And last but not least, thank you to my amazing family – for keeping me company as the votes are coming in, and for all your support along the way in two tough campaigns. I could not do this without your love and support. To my wonderful husband Dave, who is celebrating a birthday today, having you with me every step of the way is what makes ALL this possible.
To the people of the 8th District. I have spent a lifetime in public service but I have had no greater honor than representing you. As a member of Congress, constituents come to you and want to tell you about their pain. Then they expect you to carry that pain with you to DC and to fight for them. As long as I represent you I will continue to fight for you, and try to conduct myself in office with the same decency and hard work that you demonstrate every day.
If we are as successful as I think we’ll be when all the votes are all finally counted, it will be because of that decency and hard work. You see, something like this wasn’t supposed to happen. Our nation is supposed to be too divided, our politics too polarized. And while I know there are still a lot of questions up in the air, and the public perception of our political life is of angry people, shouting at one another, that simply isn’t what we as Michiganders want.
And that isn’t our campaign. Our campaign is made up of people who put partisanship aside to support a Democrat. It’s a campaign built on bipartisan accomplishments. And we have worked every day to show the same civility, decency and respect that you practice in your own life.
And I don’t think we’re alone. Soon, once all the votes are counted, I believe we will be celebrating Joe Biden’s win in Michigan.
Going forward, it’s important to recognize our work is not over just because Election Day is behind us. That work, in my mind, will play out in three phases. Phase 1 was the election itself, which is now coming to a close. Phase 2 is the 78 days between today and the peaceful transition of power. This will be a tumultuous time, and I urge everyone to keep their seatbelts on. These 78 days may bring a real test for the people who have for too long ignored or downplayed anti-democratic words and deeds. Leaders who have for four years refused to lead, who have surfed the waves of anger and bitterness or kept their heads down in order to keep their own jobs, will no longer be able to avoid their responsibilities to our democracy. And these responsibilities are bigger than any one man or any one party.
Then, after that peaceful transition of power, the real work of Phase 3 begins, and that is the healing of our country. We must figure out how we come back together as a nation. I refuse to believe that our politics will simply be this toxic from here on out. I refuse to be a part of the same zero-sum politics that pit neighbor against neighbor. We all will have to do something very hard — which is keep the door open for one another and find love in our hearts for our fellow man. That does not mean we should ignore or remain silent in the face of the troubling, extremist and even violent currents that have emerged in the last few months. We cannot and will not accept attempts to undermine democracy using violence and intimidation. We can’t ignore threats to our security that are increasingly linked to white supremacy and anti-government extremism. Whatever the ideology behind it, the only acceptable response to violent threats is to condemn them and to oppose the people responsible. But at the same time, we must keep the door open for people to do the right thing. We must keep a hand outstretched to one another. We must do that very American thing of self-reflection and commitment to improve.
Powerful forces are working every day to divide us, and I don’t assume that one election can solve that. But it can be a start. The heroes of the best American stories are always those who bring us together, those who choose to pursue unity and peace rather than division and hatred. We remember Abraham Lincoln because even in the middle of a deadly civil war, he showed malice toward none and charity toward all. We remember Martin Luther King Jr. because in the face of violence and anger, he preached love. If we remember their opponents at all, we remember them as obstacles to overcome, not examples to follow.
And today, we need leaders who set examples to follow. From the clerks counting our votes, to the cabinet officials who must oversee a peaceful transition of power, we need to rise to this occasion and spend more time honoring the values we share than we do widening the fissures between us. That’s my job as long as I serve as your representative in Congress.
Thank you again to all those who trusted me with their votes. To those who did not, please know that I am here to serve you, too, as long as I am in office.
Thank you, and let’s get to work.
