Thank you. Sit down, please.
Thank you. Thanks.
Thanks, Alabama. Of the last three years, I've had the greatest honor of
my life of anybody's life of representing this great state in the
United States Senate following in the footsteps of my former balls, How will
have? And it has been a real honor. It's been an honor because it's been
your voice out there. And I was so very much appreciated. My family so very
much appreciates. You know, tonight didn't turn out the way we wanted. I'm
gonna be reaching out to Coach Tuberville to congratulate him and
offer our support and whatever transition weaken do and to remind him
that now he represents one. Alabama is not just those folks that voted. He
represents everybody. That's what we have tried to do. And folks, let me
tell you,
what we've done the last three years is mawr than just about one Senate race.
It's mawr than it's never been about Doug Jones or the Jones family. This
has always been about a state, a state that we all love a state that we care
about. A state that has gone through massive changes over the years and we
are in the process of going through those again. We've seen so many
different things that have happened over the last few years. We've seen so
many good things and positive things. But at the end of the day, Alabama is
still a work in progress. We know that Alabama still ranks low in education.
We still rank high and unhealthy outcomes. We still rank in a place that
we want to make sure we can do better. Those are the things that we're going
to continue to work on. Those are the things that you've been working on with
me for the last three years, and for that, everybody in Alabama ought to be
appreciative. I know I am. I know that there are folks in Washington D. C that
are because as we go forward, we're not going to stop because one of the things
that we all know, when we came up and started coming out and we came out of
last year with one Alabama, we meant it.
We're all in this together. We're doing everything toe lift all boats to make
sure that every man, woman and child in Alabama has an equal opportunity are
treated equally with dignity and respect to make sure they have the
opportunities for a job and a better education. Those are the things that
we've been talking about. Those are the things that you've been talking about
and those are the things that we're going to continue to build. I am really
proud of all that has happened in the last three years. At the end of the day,
my time in the Senate is gonna be over. But our time has just beginning our
time to make our state so much better than what it has been to make sure that
we continue the march of progress because at the end of the day, that's
where we are.
You know,
we could talk a lot tonight about all of those things that we we have
accomplished in the last three years, and there's a lot. There's a lot that
the people Alabama don't even know about yet, but they'll learn because
that but because what we're we've been able to do is to meet and talk to so
many people and I can't help it. If we can't counter every lie. I can't I
can't do that and it's okay because at the end, what we're gonna do is go
forward with progress. And I know this. I know that we're gonna be fine and
you're gonna be fine because everyone has contributed to this over the last
three years. So many people, so many people that didn't even vote for Doug
Jones tonight has contributed to make this place a better. Whether it's
farmers, teachers, health care workers, first responders, mayor, city
councilors, county commissioners, everyone is contributor. And for that
I'm forever forever grateful. I will never have any regrets. And I during
some of these meetings that we've gone, too. And some of our get out the vote
rallies always quote John Lewis. I quote John as part of a kind of a get
out the vote to try to get everybody enthuse. But I wanna I wanna read that
again because I think it's important to remember who we are and what this state
is about and that we have Maurin common than divides us. John always would
quote the old African proverb When you pray, move your feet. I used to quote
that about trying to get people out and work and trying to make these changes a
za way of a campaign. But what John went on to say and what he really meant
was something different. He went on to say, As a nation, if we care for the
beloved community, we must move our feet. Our hands, our hearts, are
resource is to build and not tear down, to reconcile and not to divide toe love
and not to hate to hell and not to kill. In the final analysis, we are one
people, one family, one house, the American house, the American family
folks. For the last three years, we've been the Alabama family. We've been the
Alabama House, and John's words are as important now and maybe more important
than they were when he wrote him a number of years ago. I've got so many
people that I could think I'm just not gonna rattle them all off. I know my
mom and my sister are looking on. They're all crying, just like many of
you are, but they've been there with us. These guys up here, daughter Courtney,
husband rib granddaughters ever in Ali and an amazing staff, one of most
amazing Washington, D. C. And Alabama staff ever.
And an amazing group of campaign folks that worked and worked and worked. We
touched three million people. We've worked so hard. Joe Trippi. Doc Turner.
I gotta stop right there. David Yang convention is I promised David I would
say something. So my social media guy right there if you if you if you see
anything I do on Twitter, it's his damn fault.
Alex, we've looked. We've got so much that we have have accomplished. But
here's the thing. And I'm just gonna end on this tonight because we love you.
We appreciate you. The State of Alabama appreciates all that you've given tow
us and back to the state. But you know what everybody has said. You know, Doug,
how did you How do you try to navigate this? And how do you navigate that? And
we've never done that. We followed our principles. We've been true to our
principles. And I believe one day with the help that we've had with the
Democratic Party, the changes that we made, we're gonna be proven right on a
lot of things, folks,
because we are still work in progress. We're still and Chris England is around
here somewhere. But I am so proud of Chris England and the Alabama
Democratic Party for all that they've done and all that they're going to do
so for us tonight.
Smile.
It's been good. It's been great, you know it has. And with all due respect
to Frank Sinatra, I am not gonna sing.
But to quote Frank and it may be paraphrase
regrets, I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to
do and saw it through without exemption.
For what is a man? What has he got? If not for himself? Then he has not to say
all the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels. The record
shows I took some blows, but we did it our way. Thank you. Thank you. We love
you guys. Thank you very, very much. Thank you. Thank you. You guys. Thank
you.
Thank you.