BREAKING NEWS: Mike McDermott Concedes To Jim Mathias

Dear Friends and Fellow Patriots,

I celebrate with you in the change that is coming to Maryland with the election of Larry Hogan and several new folks who were successful in securing new Republican seats in the General Assembly. I only wish I could have been among them in January when they raise their right hand and take their oath of office. Delegate Charles Otto, Delegate-Elect Carl Anderton, and Delegate-Elect Mary Beth Carroza will be a great team that you can count on in the General Assembly.

Tonight I am conceding the race for the senate seat in District 38. My battle for the seat has ended, but the battle to take back our state has just opened a new chapter for which we can all be very proud.

No one gave us much hope of achieving a victory over the incumbent in my race. In the end, he and Senate President Mike Miller outspent me 10-1. We ran an honorable campaign that was fact based and fact checked. We told people the truth, but, sadly, enough believed the lie.

In defeat, we drew a lot of fire from the opposition...resources that they could have used to shore up other seats which they wound up losing. In fact, we picked up enough seats in the House of Delegates to sustain any Veto that Governor Hogan may need to exercise to stop bad legislation. I may not have been traditionally successful, but the pro economy message of rolling back tax increases and eliminating the punitive regulatory environment faced by all businesses in Maryland has carried the day.

Our team will need all of the support you can muster in the weeks, months, and years ahead. We need good people to be selected to serve within the Hogan administration who can think outside of the box and guide our state to prosperity. Please continue to pray for Larry and his team. Many decisions will be made in the next two months that will chart a new course for Maryland. I encourage the Governor-Elect to look to the Eastern Shore for competent leaders to help him accomplish these goals. I certainly would like to see Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio serving as a Cabinet Secretary.

I will continue to thank folks individually in the days ahead for sharing their time, talent, and treasure with us during the campaign. We could not have been as successful as we were if not for the vast number of people who grabbed onto the rope and pulled together. For that effort, you will always find me eternally grateful.

For now, my plans include catching up on some much needed rest and doing as I have encouraged you and your families to do...pray for our Governor-Elect and his team and keep believing in the values that have always made our country the envy of the world.

Godspeed,

Mike McDermott, Delegate