A MESSAGE FROM KEVIN:

Dear Friends:

We were disappointed to find that, once the final ballots were counted, my opponent still held a lead of 1,330 votes. So, I conceded the race to him Wednesday morning, May 21.

While it is painful to lose an election, I try to put things in context. The most important things are my faith, my family and my friends, and I include all of my political supporters as part of my friendship network. We were outspent 5 to 1 by an opponent who was able to put $1.2 million of his own money into his campaign. This clearly had a telling effect, especially with such a narrow margin.

In any event, we now need to look towards the future, not the past. I will work to help Senator John McCain in the Presidential contest, and to help Senator Gordon Smith to win re-election. I will help our statewide Republican candidates as well as seek to help Republicans retake the Oregon House of Representatives, where the margin is 31 Democrats to 29 Republicans. In addition, we will support ballot measures I will have on the ballot in November, including two criminal justice reform measures. There will be much to be done on those fronts.

At the community level, I will continue my service with St. Joseph Church, Blanchet Catholic School, the Salem Catholic Schools Foundation, We Care Oregon, Life Directions Board of Directors, the Salem Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and East Salem Rotary Club, as well as my support for the Tillamook County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

We all share in the disappointment of this electoral defeat, but we need to pull together to meet the challenges of building our community for the future.

Thank you all for your strong support through volunteer service, financial contributions, and prayers. May God bless all of you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Mannix

 

FINAL RESULTS