It's only fair...

Today as people are congratulating the winning candidates, I want to take a moment to appreciate the people behind the scenes who make it happen.

This may or may not have something to do with the fact that I am the mom of a campaign manager, 3 times over.

Until this happened, I had very little idea of what goes into a campaign. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of blood, sweat, tears, anxiety, strategizing, communicating, organizing, mistakes and triumphs -- over a multitude of hours.

Because of the work of the managers and their team members, you get to know the candidate and what he or she believes. They are the ones who create opportunities for the candidate to communicate the vision and principles he or she espouses.

The campaign team works to determine which voters know the candidate, and which don’t, and where to target their communication. They deal with budgets and must decide how best to spend the money to communicate the message. They evaluate feedback and refine the message. They coordinate phone banks and door-belling and write the copy for the ads. They become experts on the issues that are most important to the voters, and help prepare the candidate to have an answer for every question that might come up.

They attend a plethora of forums, debates, fund-raisers, parades and wave signs on the street. For many months, the campaign is the priority activity of their lives. They make many sacrifices, not so they can be known, but so their candidate is.

Today, the winning candidates are receiving congratulations – and rightly so. But I just want to say another congratulations to all those behind the scenes, whether they work for winners or losers, for their dedication, hard work and commitment to the election process. You have lived out your conviction to promote what our country needs to be the best it can be – and I laud you for that.

I hope today that you are feeling satisfied. Undoubtedly, you are weary…I hope that you get to put your feet up for just a moment before the governing begins!