IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - OCTOBER, 19 2005

Today I am announcing that I am ending my campaign for Secretary of the State 2006.

Previously I had stated that I would make a final decision regarding my candidacy once the picture on the state level became clear, and that has now occurred.

Despite widespread support and encouragement from around the state to continue with our campaign, I feel that our time and energy can now best be spent endorsing and supporting the current Democratic constitutional officers seeking re-election, along with a commitment to doing everything I can to help elect the first Democratic governor in twenty years next November.

It has been a great honor and privilege for me to have had the opportunity to run for statewide office. I have tremendously enjoyed visiting so many of our cities and towns throughout our state meeting so many wonderful people. I would like to acknowledge and thank not only the other five outstanding Secretary of the State candidates who ran with me in this race, but all of you throughout our state who supported us in every way possible during the past eleven months of our campaign.

Our commitment remains strong to the issues we talked and cared so deeply about in our campaign: ethics, campaign finance reform, support for small businesses and most of all increasing local communication and outreach as we make the transition to electronic paper trail voting machines.

I look forward to continuing to work together with all of you in the weeks and months ahead in support of these goals, while helping to elect as many Democrats as possible, both locally in our upcoming municipal elections and throughout our state next November.

Best regards,