Dear Family, Friends, Supporters and Voters,
Thank you for your phone calls, and thoughtful messages, and many expressions of concern and support since the June 5th election results.
Of course, I am very disappointed that I lost the election, and I will not be able to carry out the many worthwhile programs that I know would benefit all constituents in my Congressional District.
The campaign experience was exhilarating and I was afforded the wonderful opportunity to meet so many caring, interesting, thoughtful people from varied segments of our wonderful community. We had a chance to speak with one another at many meetings, coffees, and fundraisers. I appreciated being able to also have met many of my fellow citizens and visitors at The Memorial Day gathering at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. I feel privileged that I met, and that we shared ideas and visions for a better future, with new friends and supporters as I canvassed the many neighborhoods of my district.
I have taken the last few days to analyze the various reasons that I did not have a better showing. I take full responsibility for not being able to get the message of my platform out to all the constituents. Some of these reasons were due to my very late entry and not utilizing all the media available.
I am awaiting the results of the 88,000 votes that have still not been counted. I picked up an additional 20% votes in the last two days and the official tally won’t be in until June 15th.
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
THESE RESULTS ARE UNOFFICIAL
Last updated on: 06-08-12 at: 16:46:56
There are approximately 88000 Absentee / Provisional ballots still to be counted.
I don’t think that I can overcome the initial election results, however I can make a better showing.
Some statistics about this campaign:
- For every hit on my web page, I received a vote. From this information, it is clear to me that if I could have reached more voters, with my platform and message, I could have won.
- I had no major funding to compete with the Political Machine’s Funding of Bilbray and Peter’s Campaigns. We learned that proper timing and campaign planning would have made a dramatic difference.
- No TV time and no debate time are catastrophic in an election of this nature.
- When I was initially introduced to the party chairman at a caucus in March, I was told that,” The Party had, months before, selected their nominee for the District, and I would not receive any support.” Also, the TV debate had already been filmed with seven (7) of the nominees not being invited to participate.
Mr. Bilbray has consistently been ranked in the bottom 10% of the least effective Congressmen on The Hill.
Under Bilbray’s continued representation, our beaches and oceans are polluted with primary sewage, our Veterans have not received adequate support, our teachers are losing their jobs because of mismanagement, and students suffer.
Corporations will be the only winners with Mr. Bilbray’s very biased representation.
Mr. Bilbray’s fundraiser’s consist of corporate interest here in San Diego and raised approximately $1.1 million, mostly from political action groups. None of Bilbray’s personal funds were used.
Furthermore, Bilbray never attended any event that would have exposed his less than 10 percent approval rating as a Congressman. Bilbray failed to respond to many solicited questions from journalists that would have exposed his true agenda.
Mr. Peters raised $1.7 million. This was 1.25 million of his own money. He was defeated by a ratio of two to one.
Peter’s record, as a City Councilman and Port Commissioner shows that if elected, he would not be effective as a Representative and would be highly influenced by special interest groups and not his constituents. Because of Mr. Peter’s baggage from his past political affiliations, which are extremely negative, show irresponsible governances on the city council and Port Commissioner, Peter’s cannot overcome these issues.
I am not deterred. I have learned so much. I have been reenergized. I more than ever, see the need for change, and I shall continue to serve my country with your continued vote of confidence.
So watch out Washington, The Committee to Elect Carswell for Congress is gearing up early and with a more prepared campaign plan, and with stronger financial support.
I would like to share some of Theodore Roosevelt’s philosophy:
Man in the Arena
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
“Citizenship in a Republic” Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Abraham Lincoln lost 5 times before he was elected
Remember!!! Attitude is a little thing that means a lot
Thank you all …more to come!
Your friend,
Gene Hamilton Carswell