To the Editor:

I want to thank the voters of Senate District 19. While the results were not what supporters or I hoped for – we are proud to have run a positive campaign based on issues that are important to working families. Now the hard work begins: we need to create good-paying jobs, improve our economy, support our traditional manufacturing base, and expand opportunities for small businesses while protecting our natural environment and traditional uses, in particular, the impact of excessive tariffs on the very existence of the Rumford mill and the jobs that support so many Western Maine Families and businesses, I cannot express how destructive to the local economy losing this economic engine could be to our area or the disruption that could occur to local families and small businesses that depend on the wages that come from the mill.

I want to give a shout-out to all the amazing supporters and volunteers of my campaign. Campaigns are never about one single person. Behind the scenes are people who take time out of their everyday lives to volunteer. They make calls, knock on doors, make and place signs, they help in ads even when they do not want to, and they write letters to the editor and their friends. I want to thank you all for your trust in me and the ideas we share. From those who contributed a $5 contribution to those who contributed “seed” money, I was happy to run a grassroots campaign. I could not have done any of it without you.

These critical issues and challenges still need to be addressed. You can make a big difference – educate yourself on the issues, read the news, not just what is circulating on Facebook or social media; get involved at the local level, and talk to your neighbors. Together we can make a difference in beautiful Western Maine.

Thank you,
Bruce Bryant