Democrat LuAnn Bennett's Concession Speech: Full Remarks

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Democrat LuAnn Bennett conceded the race Tuesday night in her challenge to Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R) to represent the 10th District in Congress. Bennett called Comstock Tuesday night to congratulate her on her victory.

Shortly after, Bennett joined her family on stage at the State Theater in Falls Church to deliver a concession speech to friends and supporters. That speech is reposted below in its entirety:

"Thank you, Northern Virginia. Tonight’s result is not the one we were hoping for, but I am very proud of the campaign we have run and the vision for our District and for the country that we put forward.
Although we didn’t win the 10th District Congressional seat, Virginia has voted for the first woman President of the United States -- and Virginia’s very own Tim Kaine as its next Vice President.
We have so much to proud of in Virginia, and in our country.

Thank you to my sons, Kevin, Bryan and Richard who have sustained me my entire adult life—and turned out to be pretty good campaigners. Thank you their beautiful families. And to my grandson, Sam, who was and will always be my guiding light.

Thank you to my dear friend and our former Congressman Jim Moran for his advice and guidance. And thank you to Khizr and Ghazala Khan for sharing their strength.

Thank you to so many of our amazing Virginia leaders who helped guide me through this campaign – Senator Mark Warner … Governor McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe … Attorney General Mark Herring … Congressman Don Beyer … Congressman Gerry Connelly … Del. Kathleen Murphy … Sen. Barbara Favola … Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall … Supervisor Koran Saines … 10th district chair Patsy Brown and so many more.

Thank you to Hilary, Andrew, Becca, and Judith for helping me raise the resources we needed … thank you to Peter and everyone else organizing and knocking doors for me … thank you to Robert for getting my message out there … and thank you, Adam, our great campaign manager for helping guide through the ups and the downs.

And thank you to every single volunteer who made tonighthappen. Thank you to Rudra who convinced me that chocolate counts as a vegetable. And to Woody who worked through illness to put up thousands of yard signs across the 10th.

To those of you who voted for me, I am profoundly grateful.

This has been a particularly difficult election for our country – one that has given us two very different visions for our future.

I just spoke with Congresswoman Barbara Comstock and I’d like to congratulate her on her victory.

In spite of tonight’s results, I am optimistic that the future will be a bright one. But there is much work to be done to rebalance our economy, support our working families and heal the divide.

I am grateful to each and every one of your for supporting me through this campaign. Thank you for everything you have done and everything you will continue to do."

PHOTO: LuAnn Bennett/official campaign photo