Senate Victory Speech - Nov. 5, 2024

Well, first of all, to Alex, you know, she forgot to tell you one important part of that story. She’s the one who got on the bus after I had to race after her first-grade friends and said well, we’ve got to wait for a certain 40-year-old to come across the park.

Well, I have to say, first of all, tonight, I must give credit to the absolutely unfailing God that I serve. One whose grace has been sufficient at every turn. I don’t have enough words to say thank you to God, whose faith has been unfailing. I want to thank Him so much. And just a moment ago, I received a call from Governor Hogan congratulating me on tonight’s victory. Offering his congratulations and the congratulations of Yumi. And I know that we both share a very deep love for Maryland and commitment to Maryland, so I certainly want to thank him for his service.

Now, I start off something that is so obvious, and it’s that it couldn’t be overstated, but tonight absolutely could not have been possible without you. Without every single person in this room, and the people of Maryland. So to the people of Maryland, thank you so very much, thank you to Maryland, thank you.

Now, if I named every person who shares this victory with us tonight, we’d be here for a few hours. But I can’t leave the stage without thanking some very special people who made tonight possible. First and foremost to the single most incredible, the baddest campaign team, let me tell you ever to have graced the Earth, this team is incredible, and they are led by the incomparable Sheila O’Connell. Our campaign manager, thank you so much to Sheila, who is what I love to call a super bad woman. Sheila led this, she flew this plane, no matter what the winds were, against over $100 million that was spent against our campaign, and we’re here tonight. For every single person on this team, who gave everything they had, they left it all on the field. This was the single most talented team I’ve seen. Every single one of them, I want to thank them so much for their commitment, I want to thank them for sharing their talents with me, and I can’t wait to continue working and making your efforts worthwhile.

I’d also like to thank some of our partners. Emily’s List, I want to say thank you so much to Emily’s List, and its super incredible Jessica Mackler. Higher Heights and Glynda Carr. There’s a network across the country electing women, I want to thank them so much. And also I want to thank all of our partners in labor, who are here tonight, many of whom are here tonight. All of our faith leaders and faith community—I want to thank them so much. To the super bad Divine Nine, my brothers and sisters of the Divine Nine. Yes, my coalition, yeah. Yeah, yes, yes. Yes.

I’d also like to say thank you so much to the Democratic party led by Ken Adelman and also Dr. Charlene Dukes, I want to thank them so much for all their incredible support. All of my friends in elective office, don’t we have the baddest captain of team Maryland—Governor Wes Moore. I want to thank him so much. All of our friends in our federal delegation who are here tonight, you just heard from Senators Cardin and Van Hollen. I want to thank them. All of our Congressmen that are here—I see Congressman Hoyer, I want to thank him so very much. Congressman Mfume is here, thank you so much. Congressman Sarbanes and who—oh, Congressman Raskin. Yes, Congressman Raskin, yes! American Congressmen. Congressman Ivey, I want to thank them—Ruppersberger—thank them so much for all of their support as well as all of my other brothers and sisters in elected service who are here tonight. From the state senate, our delegation, our council members, all the Democratic Central Committee members who worked so hard on this campaign.

To all of our volunteers, all of Team Alsobrooks, all of Team Alsobrooks. Every single volunteer. Thank you not just for believing in this movement, but I thank you for working so hard to take the movement to the people. So for every single volunteer who opened your home, who met us in coffee houses, met us at backyard, for all the donors who contributed, I want to just say thank you so much for every phone call and every door knock, thank you so very much. Thank you, just wanted to rant, you guys.

To the people of Maryland, especially the folks who came out—now, you all know we started a little later tonight, and you know why that was? It’s because our college students and first-time voters, so many of them showed up at the polls tonight, they had to keep the polls open later because our children came out to vote tonight. And so I want to just say thank you to them, and also want to just give a special shout-out to my hometown, Prince George’s County, Maryland. Prince George’s County, Maryland. A place where I have grown up, the ones who I love so much. You know, I woke up this morning to my neighbors who lined my street and hosted a pep rally for me as I left my neighborhood. And I want you to know that this is the Prince George’s County that I have known. The people who cheer each other on, where greatness grows. At times we struggle together, and we work to build a better future for all of our children. And to those Marylanders whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I want you to know that I hear your voice, and I will be your senator, too.

And then thank you, most especially, to the most amazing family this side of heaven. Thank you first of all to my super incredible big sister Kimberly Seymour, who is my protector and my hero. The best sister in the world. And you know, Kim, we’re going to be up pretty late tonight, we’re going to be celebrating this one for a moment. I’d also like to thank my parents, James and Patricia Alsobrooks, my two heroes, right over there. Whose values I hope you see reflected in me every day. And you see as well, their love, their profound love that they taught me for other people. As well, you see their grit, their determination, and the work ethic that they passed on to me. So Mom and Dad, you may not have seen this coming, but I tell you, I thank you so much for making every day of it possible. Thank you so much. To my grandparents, who would’ve loved to have been here tonight, but whose legacy I carry on, I thank them so much. There are two other people that I want to thank. Cora Masters Barry, I know is somewhere in the room, I want to thank Cora Masters Barry. And George Hazel, where are you George Hazel? I want to thank the two of them as well for their love.

Now, it’s remarkable to think that in two years America will celebrate its 250th birthday. And in all those years, there’ve been more than 2,000 people who have served in the United States. And only three have looked like me. And so I want to salute all of those who came before me, who made it possible for me to stand on this stage tonight. Who sacrifice and story I will continue to carry with me.

And from the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every Marylander. To serve this state, my hometown, is the honor of a lifetime. And there are few places, be clear, like Maryland. Marylanders are absolutely amazing people. Absolutely amazing people. And I know how amazing they are because I’ve had the great honor of travelling all across this state, meeting Marylanders where they live, where they love, where they worship, where they build businesses, where they educate their children, and where they dream of a better day. And I stand here tonight for all those people who dream of a better day. We stand tonight united as one Maryland. And to each and every Marylander, I say this: I will make your care my concern, your hope my focus, and your dreams my work in the days and years to come. And to the people who did not vote in this election, I want you to know that I see you too. And that I will never stop working to prove that public service, that the work we do, can and must change the lives of people for the better.

And lastly, I stand here tonight for my North Star, for my reason for being, my incredible daughter, Alexandra. Alex should know that I first ran for public office because of her. And I ran for the Senate because of all of you. For the young people and the elders of our country, about the future that you one day will inherit, and the country that I know we all can be. I know that we can be a country that yells less and listens more. That fears less and trusts more. Where we see the humanity in each other before hateful words. And as divided as we may feel, in America, I still believe there is no us against them, there is only us. And with the right leadership, we can get back to a place where we celebrate each other more. Where we see the humanity in people before the hateful words or the hateful deed. A place where our economy is fairer, and our democracy is stronger. A place where women’s health is protected, where hard work is rewarded, and where government exists not to eliminate our freedoms, but to celebrate and advance them. A place where you and your generation and all the generation, our kids’ generations can enter the workforce knowing that not only will you have a chance to achieve the American dream, but that your children will also be able achieve their dreams as well. And I’ve often said, and I’ll say it again, the number one issue as I’ve travelled across the state, is economic opportunity. And it is my great desire that each of our families, that all of us, will not live on the margins but it is my desire that you will live beyond your wildest dreams. That is what I will work for. And a place where you have no doubt that you can dream and be whatever you want in this country. And so to Alex, to all of our children, to all of our parents, I say to you that this is the America that I will continue to work for. To make it work for each one of you so that you can experience the American dream that we together can reinforce the values that we share as Americans. The democracy that we believe in, that we believe in freedom and human rights, that we believe our leaders should have integrity and be decent people, this is what we will continue to fight for.

And as I’ve said a few months ago in Chicago, it’s always darkest before the dawn. And you heard me say that we’ve endured for a night, and now joy comes in the morning. And I want you to know that I am still hopeful that we will learn later tonight that that joy will be led by a woman, by my friend, our next president, Kamala Harris. Tomorrow begins the hard work of making every day that comes a little better than the one before it. And that’s a fight worth fighting. And that’s a fight we are going to win. And so again, I say to each of you, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. What a wonderful honor. I can’t wait to be your next senator, representing you in the Senate of the United States.

And let me say one other thing before I leave: how lucky have we been to have Senator Ben Cardin representing us as senator from the great state of Maryland. A man whose integrity and brilliance not only benefited Marylanders but benefited our whole country. And so I say to Senator Ben Cardin, we thank you so much, sir. Myrna, his wife, is here, as well. I want to than the two of them so much for their service. We love you so much and we thank you. I’d also be remiss if I did not acknowledge one other person—two people. My pastor, John K. Jenkins and Trina Jenkins are here tonight. I certainly want to salute them and thank them so much for their love and their guidance. Thank you so much, I love all of you, thank you so much everybody. Thank you so much.