Well y’all, this isn’t the statement I wanted to make. But with all of my heart, thank you. Thank you for all the encouraging messages I’ve received since last night, I am truly humbled by how many folks have reached out.

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have never imagined I would see my name on a ballot. But I did, and I’m so proud of that. Being able to fill in the bubble beside my name was a moment I’ll always remember. This cycle was not my time, but there is still work to be done, and I am not going anywhere.

This campaign was powered by friends and family, most of whom had never knocked a door or made a campaign call in their lives. Almost everyone who volunteered was brand new to this work, and they still showed up to learn. They believed in me and were willing to give time, money, and talent to help me. I am in awe of all of these people I am so damn proud to call my friends, and the community we built because of the campaign.

Community is a form of resistance. In a world that wants us exhausted, isolated, and convinced we are powerless, choosing each other is radical. Showing up for a neighbor, sharing a meal, knocking a door, making a call, listening to someone’s story, laughing together in the middle of hard work, that is how we remember who we are. And there is joy in it. Real joy. The kind that reminds us we are not alone, that hope is not naive, and that regular people, standing shoulder to shoulder, are still the most powerful force Kentucky has.

I had a lot of people ask me how I had the time and energy to run this race while working full-time with three busy kids at home. My answer was always two things: I’m building community and that fills my heart and energizes me, and I’m doing this work FOR my kids. They deserve a better Kentucky than the one I see now.

I am still committed to building a Kentucky where working-class families matter more than money, where everyone has healthcare, where public schools are protected, where reproductive rights matter, and where our rights are expanded, not limited.

Love is an action word. My heart is filled with the love I have been given by so many of you. I love this community and this state, and I will keep using that love to organize, do the work, and find joy.

Kentucky is worth fighting for, and I am not done.