Lillie Lavado Concedes

I have not won this race, but the margin was slim for Presque Isle. Joseph Underwood, our 71 year old white male Republican representative-elect, has decided to use his winning remarks to bash the fact that I grew up in Connecticut and suggest that I am merely an opportunist. Well, Hartford gifted me nothing less than thick skin and an unwavering urge (and education) to pursue equity after coming of age in the “Poorest City/Richest State”. This man should be thanking our community for their votes and pledging to ensure that our qualified worker shortage can be stopped, that youth don’t flee this town, that all indigenous and minority community members feel his support, that entrepreneurs have the backing of the State, and that working people – like you and me – know he will be truly working for all of us in Augusta. But, maybe that’s just what I would have done.

Campaigning for my first time was tough. I encountered a pandemic, have been quarantining with two small children remote learning since March, faced xenophobes and harassment, and worked a fulltime job – to put food on the table – through most of it. So, Joe did not outperform me. I will be watching him and chronicling both his successes and his failures with an eye toward the future when this pandemic is safely behind us.

Thank you to every single person that has supported my campaign whether it be financially, materially, or in spirit. This experience is one that I look forward to sharing with other energetic folx as they prepare to embark on their own campaigns for public office. Keep the faith and stay in touch because I will be organizing and trying, as always.

#solutions