John,

Last night didn't go the way we wanted. I'll be honest: I'm disappointed. I know many of you who generously gave your limited time and hard-earned money to our campaign are disappointed, too.

But I'm also tremendously proud of what we built together -- and you should be, too.

We've built the foundation of something big that we'll look back on for years. We brought the focus of this race back to what's really important. We focused on the fundamentals, like our jobs and our schools and our health care -- just like you do as a family.

That's how you build a community.

There's a reason there was panic out of Washington, DC and out of Raleigh. We had a message that scared them -- a message about bringing people together. And we couldn't be bought with super PAC money.

So they pulled out all the stops to defeat us -- even sending national speakers for a last-minute get-out-the-vote visit.

We knew from the start that this was going to be a major challenge, but we decided to hold the line. And while we may not have been able to win yesterday's uphill battle in this gerrymandered district, I know that this grassroots team isn't done fighting -- and our communities will be better for it.

So thank you, John, for everything you've put into this campaign. As a kid from New Bern who's always loved Eastern North Carolina, I'm grateful to you for fighting alongside me these last few months.

With gratitude,

Allen