John,

Thank you, Southwest Washington. Serving you in Congress is a profound honor and a gift I will never squander. I'm deeply grateful for this vote of confidence in the work I’ve done to set aside national politics and represent our community in Washington, D.C. I will continue to honestly reflect the independence of Southwest Washington in everything I do as our voice in D.C. Our heritage as fiercely independent, loyal fighters for our community is as clear to me as it was the day my family and I decided to ask for the privilege of working for our community.

I am deeply humbled by the tens of thousands of supporters who stood alongside me in this campaign, the patriotism and diligence of my staff, and for my friends and family – especially Dean – who have extended truth and grace to me on this challenging road. Your confidence in my ability to do this work and do it well has carried me through many long plane rides.

I will always be the person I was raised to be, someone who works to fix things, not break them. It has been a profound honor to be invited into so many living rooms, shop floors and community spaces across the district and the political spectrum – I’m deeply grateful to continue in this work. It is a privilege to listen, show up, do the work, and focus on substance, not slogans or sound bites.

To the people of Southwest Washington: I pledge to you that I will work every day to live up to the responsibility you have placed in me, I will continue to deliver results for our district, and I will continue to put the place we live above the national politics trying to divide us. It never will.

– Marie