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We did it! You did it. We did this together: the campaign team, more than 50 volunteers, more than 150 donors, and the entire West Brattleboro community. According to unofficial results, I am the Democratic nominee for Vermont House of Representatives in Windham 2-1.

I’m going to be straight-up with you all—that’s what I do, right? I knew I wanted this job. I knew the legislature was where change needed to happen, where my voice and my skills were needed, where my desire to always “say the thing” could be transformative.

But campaigning? I couldn’t imagine anything worse. But what an incredible gift it has been… I thought we went to each door so constituents could meet the politicians, but it turns out that’s all sorts of backwards. I went to every door so these stories can swirl around in my heart and mind as I work to craft laws. I held forums and parties and social media, so much social media—not so you could all get my message (though that helped), but so that I’ll know what works next year when I have a question for you. This life—it’s all practice.

But it’s not just me practicing, it’s all of you. The inspiring thing here is what we can all do, not just me, but this team, this community: How we can each do our part to be represented. How by showing up and asking questions, we can make more people in our community feel like they have a right to show up. And then they ask questions… Do you see? It’s a virtuous cycle.

A VIRTUOUS CYCLE—I love this phrase. This is what I haven’t talked about enough. This campaign has had two threads, economy and community, and they are not separate. If we want to live in a democracy where people show up, we need jobs, we need housing, we need to stop the cycle of one foot in front of another with no space to envision and build our future.

That’s what’s next—to take all this power, all this focus, and all of these questions, and show the rest of the state that it’s doable, that this is what people want.

See you in the general election, and on to the statehouse!