Statement by Phil Noble
5/2/11

First and above all else, thank you to the many people who worked so hard to support our campaign to reform our party, and to the delegates that voted for us.

The best part of running was working with all the great people around this state who got involved because they are deeply committed and care about our party and its future. Of course, I’m sorry we lost, but as I said in the closing days of the campaign, representing you and your concerns in this race has been a great privilege and I will never forget it.

Second, I’d like to personally congratulate Dick Harpootlian on his victory. He won; I lost. Hats off to Dick and the whole Hapootlian team for a job very well done.

Since the convention, I’ve had dozens of emails and phone calls from folks offering kind words and encouragement, and it has brought back a memory from long ago. As a young man, I remember standing on the convention floor and listening as the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy ended his presidential campaign in 1980. So I hope you’ll forgive me for paraphrasing a line from his great concession speech of that night when I say that … well, things worked out a little different from the way I thought, but let me tell you, I still love South Carolina. And, now, even more than ever, I still love the South Carolina Democratic Party.

This weekend’s election was everything we Democrats could have asked for — substantive, hard-fought, and in the end, decisive. We have chosen new party leadership, and it’s now up to all of us who care about this party and the people for which it stands to support our new leaders as they get about the important business of holding South Carolina’s Republicans accountable for their decade-long record of economic failure, endemic corruption, and governmental malpractice.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, must be allowed to stand in the way of this important work.

In closing, allow me to paraphrase Sen. Kennedy one more time when I say that, for me, this campaign ended Saturday. But for the things we Democrats all believe in — jobs, public education, healthcare, and more — the fight has just begun. And I ask each and every one of you to join me in supporting our new Chair, Dick Harpootlian, as he carries this battle to the Republicans. With his leadership and our full support, I know that there are only better days ahead for our party, our state, and our people.