They said it was over. They said she couldn't come back. They said she was done. But the pundits and the pollsters and the naysayers got it wrong, and Senator Clinton and all of her dedicated supporters got it right! This race has just begun.
Senator Clinton's victory in New Hampshire was breathtaking. It was an extraordinary affirmation of the power of voters over predictions, pundits and polls.
But Tuesday's stunning win is about more than election results. This isn't a horse race. This is a fight for a better America, an America that lives up to its ideals, an America where the basic promise of our country will ring true again – that if you work hard and play by the rules you can get ahead and give your children the opportunity to live a better life. This is a fight to end the war in Iraq, give every man, woman and child the medical care they need, and revive America's middle class.
Senator Clinton's campaign is about changing America and electing the leader with the strength and experience to get it done. But it's about something deeper than that. People in America feel invisible, like no one really cares about their problems – and won't care enough to really do something to help them. Americans feel powerless and overwhelmed by big economic forces, like globalization. The Hillary Clinton I know gets that, and she's not content to simply talk about it. The Hillary I know understands that people struggle every day and expect their government to be on their side. This is what Hillary talked about last night in her victory speech.
I want to congratulate Hillary and the campaign, AFSCME's devoted activists, and all of the unions, other organizations and volunteers who worked so hard to make Tuesday's victory possible. And I want to thank the voters of New Hampshire for turning this race around and showing that Senator Clinton has what it takes to win the nomination and take back the White House in November.
I'm proud that thousands of AFSCME members, staff and leaders have been working diligently every day to make Hillary Clinton our next President. They understand the importance of this election and the critical importance of this union backing up its endorsement with everything we've got.
Last night taught us all that Hillary Clinton is a fighter and that we should never, ever give up. We won because we believed in ourselves, our candidate and our vision, and we won because we worked so hard. In fact, according to exit polls, union voters made a decisive difference; 40 percent voted for Clinton, while 29 percent went for Obama. Among non-union members, 38 percent chose Clinton and 39 percent picked Obama.
We all know what we need to do next – redouble our efforts, work harder than before and give this everything we've got in the states ahead. With the AFSCME Green Machine in high gear, we're going to win this election! We will turn our country around!