Thank you everyone. Eighteen months ago there was a lot of the political chattering classes that were spouting a lot of information about the Senate race in Missouri. And they all said it's over. It's done. It's too red. It's just too red. There is no way Claire McCaskill can survive. Well you know what happened? You proved them wrong.
With a stubborn determination, tenacity and a refusal to give up, we showed the county what Missouri is made of. Now I have to start, I have so many blessings, God I can't even begin to tick them all off. I can't name them all. But I have to start with the people on this stage. These are my children, my step children, my siblings, their spouses, my husband. They are my rock, they are my foundation. They are there for me, and he puts up with a lot.
There is one person missing off of this stage tonight, and I just go to tell you. Mom, this one's for you. And the reason I know that this one is for my mom is because I actually believe when all of the votes are counted something extraordinary will have happened. Because you need to understand that this race was called before any of the votes from St. Louis City or St. Louis County or Kansas City was counted.
Guess what Mom? I think we finally won rural Missouri. I also have to thank this amazing staff I work with on this campaign. We've been at it for two years. Yes we have. We have been going full bore for two years and this is such a team. Every single part of this campaign. Intellect, great strategy, a work ethic that I am in awe of, a sense of togetherness. There were no egos on our team, just a focus on what we had to get done. I can't name them all. They are truly special, but I gotta to tell you, I gotta give a shout out to Corey and Adrianne, the campaign manager and the deputy campaign manager who did a great job.
Ok then, lets get to the meat on the bone, and that would be you. That would be all of you and what you did. Thousands of volunteers across this state, you decided that you wanted nothing more complicated then your government to reflect your values.
I stand in awe of your passion and your commitment and your patriotism, and your determination that you were going to have a voice in the United States Senate that made you proud. I also stand here in acknowledgement of the fact that I did not get every vote today. There were hundreds of thousands of votes that were cast for Congressman Akin. He graciously called me. He graciously congratulated me. I recognize his years of public service and his patriotism.
But all the people whose votes I didn't get today, here's my message to them: I go to Washington first as a Missourian. I go first as a Missourian. And I will continue to be a Senator that works across the aisle in a bipartisan way to find the compromises to solve problems for every Missouri family, not just the families of those that voted for me.
Along the way, I had the incredible honor of meeting people that were perfect strangers to me that greeted me like long-lost friends. There is nothing that makes me prouder than complete strangers walking up to me, grabbing my hand, and giving me a word of encouragement. Whether it was the elderly woman at the airport that grabbed my hand and said, "Ms. Claire, I'm going to fight hard for you," or the maintenance man at the office building a few weeks ago who shouted at me as I walked through the lobby, "Claire, we got your back." It is those people, it is those salt-of-the-earth wonderful people that live in this state I love. It is those people that I will go to Washington and fight for with everything I've got.
This was an extraordinary campaign for so many reasons. The results are astounding. Now I want all of you to own it, you deserve it, you did it, God bless you and thank you -- six more years.
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