I have conceded in my bid to be the next Congressperson representing the people of California’s Third Congressional District.

At this pivotal moment, I want to say thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. To the 1,000 volunteers across 10 counties who have knocked over 160,000 doors – thank you. To the 15,000 individuals who contributed to our campaign – thank you. This was a grassroots effort, and I couldn’t be more proud of the coalition we built, of Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike. We were all unified by a vision for our future that’s bigger than party politics.

I also want to thank my family, my wife and my two boys, who all sacrificed a lot over the last 15 months. I’m really excited to spend the next couple of days with my family and friends, thanking supporters and going back to taking care of members of the community as a physician.

You all know I’m no stranger to hard work. I grew up on a farm and started working when I was eight years old. My parents really valued education, and taught me discipline and the values of family and community.

And I know you each are no stranger to hard work. We always knew this was going to be an uphill battle, and while the fight will continue, this race has unfortunately ended in a loss for our campaign. Tomorrow, nevertheless, we will find new ways to create change in our community.

This campaign started because I could no longer sit on the sidelines at a time when we need leaders who will put partisanship aside and step up and serve this community.

Every day since I made that decision to run for Congress – I’ve seen why partisan politics are hurting our country.

From the gas pump to the grocery store, our working families are hurting. Our families and businesses are doing everything they can to get ahead, but we’re facing an uphill climb.

And that hill keeps getting steeper and steeper because politicians are more focused on serving their party and their ideology rather than on serving the people.

As you all know by this point, after 9/11 I joined the Navy and served in Iraq with the Marines. When you’re in a combat zone you don’t spend your time worrying about what your differences are, you work together to finish the mission and keep each other safe.

That’s what this campaign was about and that’s why I’m so proud each of you were on my team, in my corner and spreading this message.

This is not the victory we were hoping for, I know. But I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you. We’re going to keep fighting for the kind of representation we deserve.

Thank you!

— Dr. Kermit Jones