From Virginia Libertarian candidate Matt Cholko:
Friends,
As you probably know by now, our campaign received 3.14% of the vote yesterday. I tried hard not to set any specific goal for electoral performance, but I can safely say that we did better than I was thinking that we would. Of course, no matter how well we would have done, all of us would have liked to do even better. Fortunately, with the skills and knowledge gained through this campaign, I believe that everyone involved will be in a much better position to succeed in the future.
I am incredibly proud of the work done by everyone involved in the campaign. Special thanks goes to Matt Helm, Kara Tappan, Rodney Severson, Chuck Eby, and Toren Carter for their roles as campaign manager, press secretary/consultant/sister, treasurer, webmaster, and graphic designer respectively. Each of them played an indispensible role in this campaign. Of course, it took a lot more than just these five people to make our campaign work. Our many volunteers who walked door-to-door or stamped postcards or passed out sample ballots all played important roles. I thank each and every one of you for your help.
None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the generosity of all of you who supported our campaign financially. Whether it was $10 or $1000, your contribution allowed us to take our message to the people. I am humbled that so many of you saw fit to give your hard earned money to our campaign. For this, I am truly grateful. While I’m talking about fundraising, I want to extend a special thank you to the Tidewater LP. They made a significant contribution to my campaign, from the other end of the state.
This was my first time running for office, and I hope that it will not be my last. I can honestly say that it has been an incredible experience, and the most rewarding thing that I have ever done. This campaign allowed me to meet many of my neighbors, reconnect with old friends, and to learn much more about my community. Most importantly, it allowed me to expose the people in my community to the principles of liberty and to give the voters a real choice on election day. The message of liberty is a powerful one, and knowing that I helped to spread that message fills me with a great sense of accomplishment.
Now we must look to the future. Government at all levels continues to grow, and all of us who believe in limited government must not only keep up the fight, but we must step up our efforts. I will continue my work in the Libertarian Party, and I hope that you will join me. If you’re already an LP member then I hope that you will become more involved. If you’re not yet a member, please go to www.lpnova.org, www.lpva.com, and www.lp.org to join the party and get on every mailing list. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we join together in the Libertarian Party to combat the Democrats and Republicans who seek to grow government and trample on our rights. For those of you in the Northern Virginia area, I invite you to attend the 2009 Annual Convention of the Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia. You can find more details by clicking here. This is a great opportunity for you to meet fellow lovers of liberty and to get more involved in the LP.
Finally, I want to encourage you to run for office. As I said above, it is a truly amazing experience, and I highly recommend it. I know that the idea seems intimidating at first, but I promise you that its really nothing to be afraid of. You don’t have to have any significant money or be a smooth politician. You just have to care about making a positive change in your community and/or your country and be passionate about spreading the message of liberty. If you’re thinking about running I would love to talk to you about it. If you decide to do it, I would be happy to walk you through the process.
Once again, I want to thank everyone who gave their time or money to our campaign, everyone who voted for me, and to those of you who supported us in other ways. I hope that our campaign has made you proud.
Sincerely,
Matt Cholko
