Thank you, North Carolina

Thank you.

Last night, we made history, and I am so honored to be your next U.S. Senator from the great state of North Carolina. Surrounded by family, friends and supporters, I shared a few words. This victory belongs to all of us, and I wanted to make sure you heard my message too.

Hello, North Carolina! Are we having a good time tonight or what?

North Carolinians - you’ve made your voices heard and they were loud!

Thank you all so much. There’s a few people I need to thank before anybody else: To my amazing wife Kristin, my wonderful daughters and the rest of my family over here, I am so grateful for your love and support. You guys are the light of my life and I could not do it without you.

And to everyone here including our volunteers, staff and supporters in this campaign - thank you for everything you did to take this United States Senate seat back for the people of North Carolina!

Now I know this was a hard-fought race and I do wish God’s blessings for Michael Whatley and his family. I spoke with him earlier tonight and he acknowledged our victory.

You know, sixteen months ago, we launched this campaign together. We knew that for too many people in North Carolina, the middle-class was feeling like a distant dream. We knew that the Washington DC insiders and the richest Americans were getting unimaginable wealth at our expense. We knew that the chaos and corruption in Washington were hurting our people.

Today, you said this has to stop. And as your new United States Senator, I am ready to take that message to Washington and work to do something about it!

Alright yeah, it would have been easier for all of us to just complain and watch from the sidelines. To shake our heads and turn away. It would have been easier. But it wouldn’t have been right.

And I’ve told you many times, on Sundays in church, I kept coming back to a passage from the book of Luke – “to whom much is given, much is required.”

And I thought about the many blessings we have in North Carolina — that I have in my life. And I knew what was required of me. And you knew what was required of us.

This campaign was powered by you, the people of North Carolina. And together, we’re standing up for the people Washington has let down.

The small business owners watching their livelihoods disappear because of tariffs. The people who need health care and are terrified seeing the federal government take it away. The farmers getting crushed by the cost of fertilizer and diesel because of this never ending war. The hardworking families and the people on fixed incomes who desperately need their elected officials to recognize how expensive things are and to work to make stuff cost less!

You know, North Carolinians work hard. And they shouldn’t need a lobbyist to unlock the American Dream. That should be the job of the people they elect to represent them. And North Carolinians, I accept your job offer!

Tonight guys, we told Washington loud and clear that North Carolinians will always matter more than the billionaires and the insiders. Tonight, we showed the country that when everyday people come together, we can make change. Tonight, we let everyone know that we are just getting started.

Guys, tonight, this campaign ends. But tomorrow, the work of governing begins.

We have to work to make health care, housing and groceries more affordable. To end this war and stop the pain at the pump. To protect Medicaid expansion we worked so hard for. To stop corruption and take on special interests that get rich while people struggle to get by. To strengthen our democracy and live up to this nation’s highest ideals.

Hey guys – it won’t be easy. And it won’t be simple. But I know that to whom much is given, much is required.

Guys, in North Carolina, we don’t just believe in the promise of tomorrow. We become it. First in Flight. First colony to demand independence. First public university. We race to lead because we know what hope the future holds. And when you’ve got hope, when you’ve got hope, anything is possible.

Tonight guys, I am deeply grateful for and humbled by the confidence and trust you have once again placed in me.

I am determined that no matter the challenges that confront me, I will be an independent voice ready to work with anyone to do what’s right for this amazing state that has given me so much. Guys, I will be your voice.

As your Senator, I will always put YOU, the people of North Carolina, first. I will put YOU before politics. I will put YOU before party. I will put YOU before power. I’m not going to Washington to be something. I’m going to Washington to do something!

And at the end of the day, I am still a prisoner of hope. I truly believe that our best days lie ahead. That we can make the course correction that our great country so badly needs. That North Carolina and the United States have a future teeming with possibilities.

So what do you say, North Carolina. Are you ready for change?

Are you ready to turn things around for hardworking people?

Are you ready to meet the promise of tomorrow?

I am too! May God bless all of you, our country and the great state of North Carolina.

Thank you very much! Thank you!