To the editor:

I wish to thank all voters, volunteers, endorsers and organizations that contributed their time, money, and spirit to my campaign to become a state Representative.

Unfortunately, in politics, there can be only one winner and it appears that Barbara Bailey will be returning to Olympia for a fourth term. To the more than 25,000 people who supported me with your vote, I am honored, humbled, and deeply grateful to have been the instrument of your call for change.

A reporter once asked me “Who is your inspiration?” My answer was and still is that you, the people, are my inspiration. There is no end to the courage and strength that you show when facing the events of your lives.

In overwhelming circumstances, it is easy to feel that you have lost your voice. Whether the silence comes from poverty, from joblessness, from catastrophic illness, or from economic uncertainty, the glimmer of hope I saw in your eyes as I shared my vision for a better life. This is all the inspiration I will ever need. Your votes for me and the demand for change these represented will speak volumes to your newly elected legislators in the months ahead.

Although my campaign has ended, the fight for Putting People First must continue. The struggle to provide healthcare for all goes far beyond financial considerations. The Swiss author Henri Frederick Amiel (1821-1881) wrote, “In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.”

The fight for healthcare is the fight for freedom itself and remains the moral imperative of our day. As I return to private life, please know that the well-being of my fellow Washingtonians will continue to be the deep passion and focus of my life’s work.

From my heart, thank you.

Patricia Terry

Camano Island