Thank You!

21% is a Victory

Last Tuesday, Chicagoans turned out to vote in record numbers and collectively brought an end to Republican control of the White House. The buzz in the air on Election Day was filled with hope for reform, change, and a new direction in this country. While Democratic candidates across the United States won election, the grassroots progressive movements that powered their campaigns must continue working to ensure that the ideals of campaigns become the ideals of our government.

The Illinois Green Party scored a victory on Election Day as well. While we did not successfully elect any of our candidates, in our first general election as an established party we managed to garner double-digit vote percentages up and down the ticket. We continued to build our party and our movement in Illinois and the work certainly does not stop when the polls close.

This campaign has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Over the course of the last seven months, I have learned an immense amount about our community, about our state government, and about organizing. The most important lessons, however, came from you. Walking our district and knocking on doors, taught me that people in the 39th district care deeply about issues of social justice and want to see the priorities of the community taken up by our leader in the State Assembly. Again and again, I heard people lament the lack of independent and effective leadership in Springfield and the lack of ballot options over the last six years.

We ran a very efficient and effective grassroots campaign. A small team of dedicated volunteers, a shoe-string budget, and an inspiring message helped us overcome 6 years of name recognition in a district dominated by one party, only one candidate, and a lot of money. 21% of the vote for an alternative party candidate is a victory any year. But it means even more this year. In the shadow of one of the strongest Democratic Presidential candidates of my lifetime, we were working to help voters distinguish between change in Washington, D.C. and change in Springfield. From day one, back in April, I told our team that we needed to breathe new life into the democratic process in Illinois and give people a real reason to look down-ticket. I believe that, with your help, we accomplished that and more.

The struggle for Universal Healthcare, Equitable Education Funding, and Safe and Affordable Housing does not stop after Election Day. These and many other progressive causes highlighted by this campaign continue to be the focus of community and social service organizations throughout Chicago and Illinois. While I am transitioning more of my focus back to clinical work, I am also working with volunteers from the campaign to revamp and rethink political organizing in Chicago. I am committed to running for this seat again in 2010 and I will work diligently in the next two years to continue establishing the Green Party as a true alternative and, yes, second party in Chicago.

In the coming months, I will be changing the focus of this website to serve as an organizing tool to plug volunteers and activists into community and social service organizations that are working on progressive causes. As I am resuming my post as the Chair of the Green Party Local in Logan Square, I strongly encourage folks that came to the campaign to come with me again to our local organization and help me continue to build this movement.

Political participation means more than voting. Please join me and join the Illinois Green Party. If you want to stay informed and stay involved, please email campaign@jeremykarpen.org. Join The Illinois Green Party

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for your continued support.

Jeremy Karpen