Koster: We came up short but our cause and our ideals prevailed all across the country on November 2nd!

After a hard fought ten month battle and a very close election in which John Koster commanded a lead on election night, ensuing ballot counts have trended toward incumbent Congressman Rick Larsen. Koster called Larsen Wednesday morning to concede the race and to congratulate him for his victory in Washington's 2nd Congressional District.

In a statement posted on his campaign website and sent by e-mail to friends and supporters earlier in the day, Koster wrote the following:

While being on the losing end of a hard fought battle is tough and certainly not where I wanted to be, it was a truly amazing and exhilarating campaign! The fact that we were able to win the hearts of so many people on the real issues of the campaign and to compete with and nearly defeat a well financed and entrenched incumbent (in one of the toughest media climates for conservatives in the nation) is a major accomplishment in itself -- and something we can and should build on as we prepare for 2012.

Common sense voters in Washington's 2nd Congressional District must remain diligent and remind the Congressman during his new term that his narrow margin of victory is by no means a mandate for continuing the disastrous Obama agenda. It is undeniable that Rick Larsen did not campaign on the Pelosi/Obama agenda. In fact, he avoided discussing it to the maximum possible extent.

To his credit, Rick Larsen included the following paragraph in his victory statement posted Monday on his website:

"The political landscape has changed and the new majority now has an equal responsibility to govern. One lesson of the Democratic party's loss is that Americans want bipartisanship. The American people want the parties to work together."

Those of us who live, work and raise our families in northwest Washington deserve much better than the ultra-partisan politics that became the trademark of the outgoing Pelosi Congress. Let us now encourage Congressman Larsen to make good on lessons learned from the historic 2010 election -- and if need be, remind him often of his post election rhetoric.

Please know that I will be forever grateful to those of you whose blood, sweat and tears made the 2010 Koster for Congress campaign such a powerhouse. I want to encourage every one of you that helped our campaign to keep fighting the good fight. While our efforts fell just short of victory this year, it is our cause and ideals that prevailed all across America on November 2nd!

May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
-John Koster

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