Thread by @sarah2020

We have decided to go to bed tonight, let the results continue to roll in, and make sure that every vote is counted in this election. As Vice President Biden said tonight, 'it ain't over until every vote is counted.'

Ted Wheeler and I share a belief in democracy, in listening to the will of the voters. Despite the heated rhetoric of this campaign, I believe Ted Wheeler is a good human being, and I believe history will remember his many good works as Mayor, even as he has admitted failings.

If Ted wins, we will continue to hold Mayor Wheeler accountable, because we are a city that demands forward progress on the issues of our time, no matter who is in power.

And just as I held Mayor Wheeler accountable as a private citizen and then as a political opponent, if I win, I know he will hold me accountable when I make mistakes.

I am holding out hope that this nation can get out from under the thumb of Donald Trump, whose incompetence at caring for our countrymen is intentional, who would not prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths, stop the police murder of Black people, ...

or to provide for the health and general welfare of every American, no matter their nation of origin. Fascists believe the only job of government is to protect corporate interest, everything else be damned.

But a Biden victory will not mean that white people can stop showing up for racial justice, nor that men can stop being accountable to women. It doesn’t mean that we’re done fighting for trans equality, or disability justice.

It is vital that every vote is counted, that the system of democracy is not subverted by partisan judges, that every instance of voter suppression and intimidation is called to account.

We will organize and we will mobilize to ensure that our democracy is protected. Even if Joe Biden does not become our next President, Portland will remain a leading light in America’s fight against fascism.

This campaign was always about tactical optimism - the belief that in our darkest hours, we have to believe in and see the path to making the world better. I’m exercising it now, in the hopes that soon the votes will be counted and I’ll be your next Mayor. Thank you all so much.