I'd like to thank each and every one of you who has worked on my campaign. This was one of the largest third party campaigns ever in Wisconsin, and we couldn't have done it without all of you volunteers and supporters who gave money, time and effort to make this campaign a success.

I have campaigned for over a year and have learned very much during this journey. I have learned about myself, the kind-hearted people of Wisconsin, the not so-kind hearted corporate media and the power establishment. It has been quite a ride.

I have learned that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. I have put on thousands and thousands of miles, traveling Wisconsin, and realize now (even though I've lived in Wisconsin my entire life) that the state is huge and very beautiful. This has been a family campaign. My kids, in particular my youngest son, Carlos, have attended marches, rallies, parades and other events all over the sate. Everywhere we went, we ate great food and met wonderful people. (Luckily I was in many parades when the temperature was 90+ degrees, so I was able to wear off all those extra pounds after eating lots of cheese and sausage.)

I found that it takes most of the day to get to the Polk County Fair in St. Croix Falls, to the towns of Superior and Bayfield, and is well worth the journey. It is also well worth the journey to travel to Door County, Kewaunee County, La Crosse, Boscobel, Viroqua, Eau Claire, Wausau, Stevens Point, Loyal, Stone Lake, Ashland, Spring Green, Dodgeville, Madison, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Racine, Watertown, Hartford, Glendale, Ripon, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Appleton, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Waupaca, and Monroe. I went to these and other places.

Everywhere I went, I found people are ready for change. Everyday folks on the ground, those who are not necessarily politically involved or tied to a party affiliation, understand that our government is NOT representing us, but is instead representing corporate interests - the big money oil lobby, the defense contractors, the pharmaceutical industry, and the credit card companies. People know what they want - they want a government that stands up for their interests. They want candidates that speak for them. They want:

• to bring the troops home from Iraq.
• to redirect the bloated military budget to the home front – for universal health care, family support jobs, and fully funded education.
• to hold the millionaires in Washington accountable for their actions.
• to have the corporations and rich pay their fair share in taxes.
• to conduct fair elections that allow all candidates voices to be heard in debates, on TV and on radio, and where every vote counts.
• to put our needs above corporate greed.

The message of this campaign resonated across the state. Over and over I had people come up to me and say "I agree with you. I like what you have to say." And the very next words out of their mouth were "How come I haven't heard of you before?"

One of the biggest obstacles in this campaign was overcoming the media blackout of third party candidates. The media only covers and endorses those who have money, the polls only list those candidates who have money, and the debates only include those candidates who have money. And we're talking BIG money.

Kohl is one of the richest senators in the country. He spent over $5 million of his own money buying a Senate seat. He got free publicity from corporate papers. Even the so-called "progressive" papers were awed by his money. Papers which came out time and again against the war, ended up endorsing Kohl, the war hawk.

Fifty of the one hundred members of the U.S. Senate are millionaires. The rest of us are under-represented. Something is fundamentally wrong with our democracy when the cost of participation is great personal wealth.

Please continue the spirit of this campaign. The campaign has been a success because it brought people together from all walks of life, all across Wisconsin - people who are Independents, non-partisan folks, Greens, Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. It united people who want to organize for real change and who want to put someone in Washington who will represent Wisconsin families and our children in the U.S. Senate. The campaign has created a foundation upon which we can build.

I call on you to carry the torch of this campaign forward. Organize in your neighborhoods, schools, work places, house of worship, and through the electoral arena. This campaign can be a stepping stone for building a movement for fundamental change in this country. It has put people in touch with one another from one end of the state to the other. We are many drops of water that make an ocean. The tide is turning for progressive change and we are a part of that tide. Please commit yourself to keep up the struggle. Together we will win!

I'm leaving my campaign web site up for a while. Please come in and see what my campaign was all about.