Friends for Civil Action, not an endorser in primaries, sends out a salute to all who campaigned on the inclusive values we support. Below is communication between me and Chris Perri, as he prepares to back Julie Oliver.

Dear Chris,

Thanks to you and your family for the remarkable energy and focus you gave to your campaign.  I know the misstep of the last couple of weeks must be very painful; I thought the email from your wife that followed that was full of humanity. I had given my small contribution to both yours and Julie’s campaigns.  I had been, as a friend said, dithering back and forth between voting for you or Julie Oliver, looking for who was most likely to have a bit of a chance in the race against Roger Williams.  I think Julie probably does, just because if there is a wave that will bring out non-traditional voters, in most cases, it’s likely to be the wave of women.  That said, in the end, I cast my vote for you – because the email sent under your wife’s signature after the dodgy business of taking on Julie’s campaign the way your campaign did– spoke to me of the hard, hard work you two undertook (appearing in many living rooms and at many doorsteps to talk with people, including my doorstep where you spoke with my adult son and in a neighbor’s living room where I heard you speak things I believe).  The reality is when we are working fiercely hard we all sometimes make mistakes.  Most, however, don’t apologize, even if  it is through a woman; and sometimes it just takes a woman in our society to offer the human face.  Thanks to you and your wife for your courage and stamina, and I plan to join you in campaigning for Julie.

All best,

Mary (Molly) Sharpe

 

Friends for Civil Action website: https://mollysharpe.wordpress.com

 

From: Chris Perri <info@chrisperrifortexas.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 9:34 AM
To: molly@mollysharpe.com
Subject: With Gratitude

 

Dear mary, Obviously, we’re disappointed in last night’s close results. It’s hard to take in the loss after all we’ve poured into this. That said, I’m deeply thankful to everyone who’s given their time, money, and support. Together, we helped shape the conversations in this race, and that positive impact will continue on. Shannon sent me this Teddy Roosevelt quote, and I agree he says it best: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Together, we all dared greatly, and for that we should be proud. The best news is that two strong campaigns gave it their all, and if we come together, the people have a real chance of flipping this district. I encourage everyone to get behind our nominee, Julie Oliver. She’s smart, dedicated, and hard working, and she now needs our support against Roger Williams. You can visit her website here: www.oliver2018.com. Runoffs are incredibly hard as candidates work to differentiate, but in the end, she’s got a great progressive platform, and we must all unite to help her win the real fight in November. Once again, to our staff, our volunteers, our friends who cooked us dinner and walked our dog – thank you. I don’t think I can ever fully express my gratitude. To my family for their encouragement, I’m so grateful. I’m especially thankful to Shannon, who poured her heart and soul into this campaign, giving every fiber of her being to spreading our message of hope. She was out knocking on doors until the very last minute yesterday. She has supported me in every way throughout this crazy challenge I took on. For us, it’s time for a little break with our furry and feathery pets, but we’ll be back fighting the good fight soon. In solidarity, Chris www.chrisperrifortexas.com     Paid for by Chris Perri for Congress Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Chris Perri for Texas , please click here.