A POST-ELECTION MESSAGE FROM MATTHEW BURKE TO "THE BURKE BRIGADE"

Less Government = More Freedom

With the latest round of reporting, it's obvious that it's not possible for us to receive enough votes to advance to the general election. While I'm obviously very disappointed that we did not finish in the top two in last night's primary, I'm proud of what we accomplished in our completely grassroots campaign. I got in this race not because I wanted to or for any self-aggrandizement, but because I felt that I had to. We started and ended with the same, clear, straightforward, and concise core principle and message: Less Government = More Freedom.

Our U.S. Constitution, and therefore our freedom and prosperity, is under attack by our own out of control, power hungry politicians and bureaucrats, and I wasn't going to sit idly by and watch without doing whatever I could to fight back. My Dad used to say while I was growing up that, "One of these days people are going to get fed up". I had no idea what he was talking about at the time, but I certainly do now.

At times, running for office for the first time, realizing the gargantuan task that in itself is, as well as putting both my career on hold, draining my already highly strained personal finances, and more importantly, taking time away from my family, caused me more than once to ask myself, "Am I crazy (I think we know the answer to that one)?", or, "What have I gotten myself into?". Whenever facing such questions, I'd think about the Founding Fathers and all that they unselfishly and courageously sacrificed. I'd consider the great and unique Constitutional principles upon which they founded the United States, and how they're slipping away. I'd think about my hero, Ronald Reagan, his passion, his optimism, his sharp wit, and his unbridled love and optimism of the American ideal. Lastly, I'd remember the reason why I was running. I want my three children, and someday grandchildren, to have the same freedom and opportunity to succeed that I've enjoyed.

Now for a little analysis of the election results. Scanning the election results, I am pleased that we received a higher percentage of the vote than many other first time candidates, some who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars more than we had available, in both the Congressional and Senatorial races. We were outspent by many multiples, much more than the margin of our loss. Without the benefits of having the funds to run TV ads on FOX News, prime-time radio ads on Christian radio, Rush Limbaugh, and all of the local conservative talk shows, without being able to do direct mail, paid on-line advertising, or robo calls, in fact, without the money to do any type of paid advertising whatsoever, without any prior political experience or connections, without any prior name identification, without any establishment endorsements, and while entering the race much later than ideal, we were able to gain, so far, 14,000 votes (update as of 8/22: 19,300) in the first district, with some additional votes still rolling over in for probably at least a couple of more days.

Upon entering this race, I was told that politics is all about the money. That is largely still the very unfortunate reality. From day one, I said that if we could raise enough money to get our message out, we would win. We didn't, and therefore, we didn't.

Taking these challenges into consideration takes the edge off of the disappointment that we weren't able to go to the next level. You can follow the vote tallying here.

Congratulations are in order for my Republican counterpart, James Watkins, who'll be pairing off in the general election against long-term, Democrat incumbent Jay Inslee. Jay is an entrenched, well-funded career politician who will be difficult to defeat given the hefty margin of his victory. James ran a tough, aggressive, organized campaign, did an excellent job of raising money, and of receiving the backing of much of the local party establishment, both before and after I entered the race. He campaigned hard and deserves credit for it.

A huge thank you to you Burke Brigade volunteers. You gave your time, energy, and when you were able, your hard earned money, towards our campaign to restore constitutionally limited government. I can't put into words how grateful and honored I am for your support. I'd like to thank those who have contacted me in the last two days to thank me for running, and encourage me to run again in the future. The bright outcome for me, on a personal level, has been the opportunity to meet so many exceptional people, like yourselves, who I otherwise wouldn't have had the pleasure to meet.

A special thanks to my amazing bride, Jennifer. She has been amazingly supportive and worked tirelessly on the campaign, wearing multiple hats. There is no way I could have done this without her and the support, approval, and prayers of the rest of my family. Our kids have been great. One of my special memories was the feeling I had when they asked if they could go out and wave signs for me.

As I mentioned, many people have asked me if I'll run again. While I take that question as a major compliment, and while I definitely wouldn't rule it out, it's way too early for me to be able to answer that question, even if I could. I know I still want to be involved in politics on some level where I can make an impact, however, I have no idea exactly what that will look like going forward.

I'm going to take a couple of weeks off to recoup, enjoy time with my family and four dogs (all of whom still love me despite the election results), then return to my profession as a personal financial planner. I'll also soon go back to writing on the political blog I started in late 2008, The Freedom Post, which I converted to the campaign's blog during the race. I'll use it, as I did before the race, to provide an outlet to vent my frustrations with the current sad state of political affairs. You can always check in there if you want to know what's on my mind. I'll also continue writing articles on the popular conservative website, Red County. I became a contributer to Red County during the middle of the campaign, about 15 weeks ago.

Even though we were not victorious, the same principles and beliefs that I started this race with remain completely intact. I'm proud of that. God Bless and Jennifer and I hope to see you all at a local Tea Party or other event where patriotic Americans gather to make a difference.

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." -- Samuel Adams