Thank you: supporters, friends, and family. Tonight we all can take pride in reaching our first goal. I am proud to have won the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate. Most of you know that I was born into a struggling family. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be here at all and only wish my parents could be here to share this moment. I want to thank the voters of Georgia who have made this night possible. Tonight, we set our sights toward the next goal: providing Georgians with the representation in the United States Senate that they deserve. I am in this race for one reason and one reason only: GEORGIA DESERVES BETTER! Georgia’s children deserve to go to school in buildings that are safe and permanent… Georgia’s parents deserve to know that their children are getting individual attention in the classroom… Georgia’s families deserve the right to treatment prescribed by their doctor, not by some bureaucrat. Georgians deserve the right to sue their HMO’s and insurance companies if they don’t get the treatment they need. Georgians who are married deserve to not be penalized by paying higher taxes to the federal government. Georgia veterans deserve the medical benefits they earned for years of service to this country… And everyone in Georgia deserves to know that the water they drink is safe and clean. As Georgians, that’s what we deserve and should expect from our United States Senator. Paul Coverdell has never been that kind of senator. Paul Coverdell will never be that kind of Senator. But you know I will. We have a senator who votes against federal funding for school construction and allows our children to be put at risk in substandard schools. We have a senator who votes against hiring more teachers to reduce class sizes. We have a senator who thinks that the insurance companies’ bureaucrats should tell us what kind of treatment we need. We have a senator who has consistently voted to cut funding for veterans’ medical benefits and thinks that a promise made doesn’t have to be a promise kept. And we have a senator who puts his head in the sand and ignores our water problems, thinking they will disappear. Paul Coverdell’s record in the United States Senate is disgraceful. Come November, we have the opportunity to change all that. Paul Coverdell hasn’t done it and he won’t do it. But you know that I will. Tonight, I call on Paul Coverdell to be accountable to the people of this state. Mr. Coverdell, it’s time for you to defend your record. I challenge Paul Coverdell to a series of debates from Rabun Gap to Tybee Light and every place in between. Mr. Coverdell, this race is not about you and it’s not about me. This race is not about how high you rank on the Republican totem pole in Washington…it’s about how you rank with the families of Georgia. This race is about the people of Georgia …what they want…the kind of representation they deserve…and the person who will fight for their values in the United States Senate. I will be that Senator. I’ve lived the American dream but I also know what Americans dream about. Come November, the issues will be clear, the differences will be clear and the choice will be clear. I’ve been a fighter all my life. And with your help, I will fight for Georgia in the United States Senate each and every day. |
