“From the first day of this election, Virginia Democrats have been steadfast in our resolve to compete and win the race for president. From day one, we said clearly that we would not cede our great Commonwealth to George Bush and the divisive cynicism of the Republican Party—and we didn’t.

“With more than 62,000 volunteers, with our 130 local committees and with an army of energized grassroots activists, we looked the pundits and the naysayers who never bothered to look beneath the surface straight in the face and said, ‘Don’t tell us it can’t be done.’ We mounted a historic campaign in Virginia and we can all be proud of our efforts on behalf of John Kerry, John Edwards and our congressional candidates.

“This campaign in Virginia is very good news for our 2005 races and beyond. In 2001 Virginians chose the Democratic leadership of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to put the state on the right track—and we have succeeded in improving the economy, creating jobs, and restoring fiscal sanity to our Commonwealth. In 2004, voters said they wanted to get the country back on track and supported John Kerry at level not seen for a Democratic presidential candidate in 40 years.

“Jerry Kilgore and the Republicans ran a campaign based on partisanship and negative attacks. This is not the Virginia way and as a result voters held them accountable and made this race very close.”