John,
I got into this race long before it became a focal point of national attention. Before Ken Buck announced his early retirement, and before Boebert carpet-bagged her way into the Eastern Plains looking for an easy win.
I always knew it was going to be a hard fight, but I’m used to hard fights.
Tuesday’s election didn’t go the way we hoped, but the fight for democracy and the needs of working families in Eastern Colorado and America never stops.
I’ve been serving my country since I first enlisted at the tender age of 17. I served faithfully for nearly 18 years as an active duty United States Marine. I completed six deployments and four combat tours. Since my retirement I have continued to serve my community and country through activism and organizing. And I have no plans to stop.
As long as there is a need to be met and breath in my body, I will continue to serve and to fight for the Republic and the ideals we cherish.
It has been the honor of my life to serve alongside each of you in this fight.
Our campaign drew national press, raising $1.6M from over 62,000 contributions – outraising Boebert again and again. Our donors came from ALL 50 states, because people all across our nation understand what a catastrophe Lauren Boebert is and why they need to invest in this election to defeat her.
I’m incredibly proud of the infrastructure we built with this campaign, knocking on thousands of doors, and reaching out to donors and voters with over 3.5 MILLION texts.
We brought eyes on CO-04 and showed the nation just how vulnerable Lauren Boebert is.
I’m grateful beyond words for my incredible team, who worked themselves to the bone to defend our democracy – including my two oldest kids, Ike Jr. and Danny, who stayed by my side every step of the way as an integral part of the campaign.
