I want to thank the people of South Jersey for your patience over the past several days as we waited for votes to be counted.  I spoke with Jeff Van Drew a few moments ago and offered him my congratulations.  While this is obviously not the result that I was hoping for, my fight for the people of South Jersey does not end tonight.

I decided to run for Congress almost a year ago, because South Jersey is my home.  It has been my family’s home for four generations, and I want future generations of my family, and all of our families, to be able to call it their home as well.

I believe that South Jersey can build back better.  I believe everyone here deserves better paying jobs, affordable health care, and a strong, diverse economy.  I believe that South Jersey’s working families deserve the protections they need and the benefits they have earned.  And, I believe children born anywhere in the district, regardless of the color of their skin, deserve equal access to opportunity and justice.

I have had the honor of working with some of the most dedicated people I know, who shared in my vision for change and joined our fight. From my tireless and amazing staff who put in countless hours, to my unwavering and unrelenting volunteers who made thousands of calls.  It is amazing to know that so many good people have put their lives on hold with the singular goal of helping me win this election.

I am so grateful to them, to my family and friends and to everyone who has supported our campaign with their time, their money or their vote.

So, while this race is over, the work that we started back in January was never about me.  It was always about the people of South Jersey.

I hope, at the end of the day, it will be said of our campaign that we stood up and spoke out instead of sitting back in silence.  That we stayed true to our values and ran a campaign focused on unity, service and integrity.

And finally, that we kept our faith in each other and in the idea that together, we can build a stronger and more equitable South Jersey.