For Immediate Release
November 6, 2018
Contact: Mitch Schwartz, 970-316-3095
Jason Crow Earns Commanding Victory, Ushers in New Generation of Leadership
Former Army Ranger Makes History as First Democrat to Represent CD-6 In Congress
Aurora – Former Army Ranger and first-time candidate Jason Crow earned a commanding victory in Colorado’s 6th Congressional District tonight, making history as the first Democrat to ever represent the district. Crow thanked hundreds of supporters at an energetic election night gathering at the DoubleTree Hotel by Denver Tech Center, ushering in a new generation of servant leaders who will put people first.
“Thank you to the people of Colorado who put their trust in me. I will work hard to earn the support of those whose trust I have yet to gain,” Crow said. “Tonight, we start a new chapter in the story of our democracy. There is a new generation of servant leaders on its way to Washington. It’s time to practice politics with honor, dignity, and humility, and build a government that fights for those who need a fighter.
“It is an honor to represent the people of Colorado’s 6th Congressional District in Congress and I will spend every day working on your behalf.”
To see video of Crow’s address to reporters, click here.
Crow’s full prepared remarks are below.
________________
We did it!
574 days ago, in the early morning hours, I filed my paperwork as a candidate for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District. And tonight, I am humbled to stand before you as the congressman-elect for this district.
We set out with a goal to bring new leadership to the country and move us forward again. It was a bold idea for someone who had never run for office before.
Today, we achieved it.
I want to start by thanking those who made this possible, because this was truly a team effort. First, a special thank you to the incredible staff of Team Crow. Our committed, hardworking, and patriotic group inspired me on a daily basis and I couldn’t be more proud of this team.
Thank you to the thousands of volunteers who made this victory possible. If you knocked on doors, called neighbors, or wrote postcards, then you were a part of the biggest grassroots campaign this district has ever seen.
We knew from Day 1 that if Coloradans heard our story – if they knew our vision for moving us forward – then we could win. But it took all of your grit and determination to do it.
You stood up and fought for your families, your neighbors, and those who needed a champion – and I’m honored to stand with you. Tonight you sent the message that democracy is alive and well in America and that you will not be silenced.
I want to thank Mike Coffman for a spirited and hard-fought campaign. We’ve had our differences, but he’s a hard worker who served his country honorably.
To be very clear, Mike Coffman and his supporters are not our enemies. This is politics, not war, and I will never stop trying to find common ground where we can. I wish him all the best going forward.
We are lucky to have family and friends who have rallied around us. I want to thank our village who helped make this happen and helped our family in countless ways. From babysitting to dinners to taking the kids to practices, everything you did kept us going.
I want to thank the toughest and most dedicated people on this campaign: Anderson and Josephine Crow. They are the reason we ran this race.
This campaign was not easy, but one look at them was all it ever took to fight harder. Anderson, Josephine, and every child in America deserve nothing less than the very best of our efforts to hand off a country that’s worthy of them. Tonight is for all of them. Tomorrow will be, too.
Finally, I want to thank my wife Des. You were this campaign’s heart and soul. But you were also, somehow, more than that. You were our best spokeswoman. You did a million things, large and small, to make this campaign what it is. Everything I do in life will begin and end with this woman. I love you so much, and thank you for walking every step of this journey with me.
My entire adult life has been organized around the oaths I’ve taken.
There’s the oath of commitment I took when I married Deserai.
There’s the promise I made when I became a lawyer, to find the truth and uphold our sacred commitment to equal protection under the law.
There’s the one I took as an Army Ranger – when I vowed to never embarrass my country.
And soon, I’ll be taking another one: to uphold our Constitution and serve you in office with honor and integrity.
Those oaths were all taken in service of the same fundamental set of values.
They’re the values I learned fighting alongside my fellow Americans overseas. That’s where I saw the heart and soul of America. To this day, when I think of America the faces of the soldiers I served with come to my mind.
They were from every background and corner of the nation. They were black, white, Asian, and Hispanic. Some were straight and some were gay. Some weren’t citizens.
I learned that America is great because we draw strength from our diversity. And we are at our best when we focus on what unites us, not what divides us.
We united around the flag on our shoulder. The oath we had all taken was more powerful than any of our differences.
So tonight, I want to talk about what those oaths really mean – and how they can steer us past the dark and uncertain political moment we find ourselves in.
Over the course of this campaign, we went to over 300 community events. I went to senior centers, and took questions about keeping schools safe from gun violence. I talked to Coloradans who have lived here for generations, and they asked me about immigration reform. I talked to students who were too young to vote, and they asked me about keeping dark money out of our elections.
Those visits in our community were about more than just meeting new friends and hearing new ideas. Those visits were a sign of my commitment to our district.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a joyful holiday festival, or a solemn memorial service, or anything in between. As long as I have the honor of representing you in Congress, I’ll be there for you. No matter what.
I try to spend more time listening than I spend talking. You can learn more about our country and community by showing up and listening than you can from your social media feed.
So here are a few things I learned on this campaign.
First, Americans value and celebrate our diversity. We are more than just a melting pot of cultures. We are a vibrant melting pot of ideas. We don’t turn away from tough conversations – we embrace them as our obligation to one another.
No political party has a monopoly on being right, and nobody understands that better than Coloradans.
Second, Americans are a kind and compassionate people. No matter where I went, Coloradans voiced concerns about their neighbors – not just themselves. Over the last two years I have seen countless people in our community sacrifice their own self-interest for the good of others. And they did so in the American tradition of service over self.
For me, this campaign reaffirmed the Colorado spirit; the notion that we are in this together and that we share a common destiny.
Third, I learned that Americans are far more united than it may appear. Politics has a way of making our divisions seem deeper and more dramatic than they really are. When Americans turn against one another – when we let fear and distrust obscure the values we share with our neighbors – then we deny ourselves our full potential.
So tonight, I’m asking you to tune out the voices of hatred and division. Where we’re going, we won’t need them.
For the last 19 months, I’ve talked a lot about servant leadership. I want to be very clear about what that’s going to mean in Congress.
For two years, President Trump has dismantled our health care system. He has failed to enforce sanctions on Russia. He has tried to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
His administration has separated children from their parents, and locked them in cages. It has tried to ban transgender soldiers from serving their country. It has failed to even acknowledge the science behind climate change.
Our current leadership has gotten away with corruption and incompetence and outright bigotry for too long. There have been too many in Congress who have simply allowed it to happen.
But that time is over.
So when I think about how we rebuild, I think about the oath I took as an Army Ranger.
To go further, run faster, and fight harder than any other. To shoulder more than my share of the task. To leave no one behind.
And to never – ever – embarrass my country.
That’s the attitude that built this country. And that’s what I’m going to bring to Washington.
Tonight, we started a new chapter in the story of our democracy. There is a new generation of servant leaders on its way to Washington. We have taken these oaths before, and we are ready to bring the values they uphold to Congress.
We ended an era that let Donald Trump shape how we talk and think about our politics and each other. And we begin a new era that puts people first, and recognizes our shared destiny. It will spare no tolerance for those who perpetrate or enable racism, hatred, and violence.
It’s time to toss political games aside. It’s time to practice politics with honor, dignity, and humility, and build a government that fights for those who need a fighter.
And most of all, it’s time to get to work.
I’m Jason Crow, and I’m proud to be the next Congressman for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.
# # #
