Team —

First off, I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past year, and to everyone who believed in our vision of what the Lowcountry can be.

I want you to know that our vision for the future, for the future our children deserve, does not end with this race. This is just the beginning.

We knew the cards were stacked against us and we knew that this could happen. But I could not be prouder of the campaign we ran. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who donated their time, their dollars, and their energy to this campaign.

We left everything on the field and we ran a campaign based on honesty and integrity, and I can’t say thank you enough for the hard work you all put in.

I never envisioned myself running for Congress. After the Parkland shooting, I knew I could no longer sit on the sidelines. I turned to my state leaders and none of them were willing to help me—so I decided to do it myself.

As a gun violence prevention advocate in South Carolina, I have had my share of losses. When we lose, we lose forward, we learn something that we can take with us into the next fight. I know none of you are ready to give up on your hope for the future. Please know that I am not giving up either. I will keep fighting with you, side by side, for all of our children, as long as they need us to.

Meeting all of you, hearing your stories, and receiving your support means more to me than I can possibly say. I am proud of myself, and I am proud of each and every one of you for stepping up and using your voices.

I could not have done this without the support of my amazing family. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my incredible campaign staff. But most importantly, we would not have run such a great campaign if it wasn’t for our wonderful supporters who believe in our vision for the Lowcountry.

I will never give up the fight. I will continue to advocate for safer communities that are free from gun violence. I will continue to advocate for women and for their right to full bodily autonomy. And I will never stop working to create a better Lowcountry for our children.

Thank you so much for joining me on every step of this journey.

— Annie