Politics & Elections

Pat Fontes: Help me to hold Sheldon Whitehouse accountable

This is Patricia J. Fontes, who ran – as Pat Fontes – a Democratic Party candidate in November 2018 for the United States Senate. This effort pitted me against Sheldon Whitehouse, the incumbent Senator since 2006. The tally of the votes cast in this primary by registered Democrats along with Independents/Unaffiliateds shows 88,361 votes for Sheldon Whitehouse and 26,673 votes

Rhode Island News: Pat Fontes: Help me to hold Sheldon Whitehouse accountable

September 13, 2018, 3:58 pm

By Pat Fontes

This is Patricia J. Fontes, who ran – as Pat Fontes – a Democratic Party candidate in November 2018 for the United States Senate. This effort pitted me against Sheldon Whitehouse, the incumbent Senator since 2006.

The tally of the votes cast in this primary by registered Democrats along with Independents/Unaffiliateds shows 88,361 votes for Sheldon Whitehouse and 26,673 votes for me.

This result requires what is ordinarily called a concession speech but which I prefer to call an acknowledgement speech, because I am conceding nothing. I acknowledge that in November Senator Whitehouse’s name will occupy the place which I sought on the ballot for the United States Senate. I do not concede that he will, if re-elected, bring a higher vision, or the probability of the realization of a higher vision, of what he and the United States Senate might contribute to the country and to the world.

I do not think that, as a result of this primary election, there will exist in the Senate a much stronger insistence on the creation of peace rather than the execution of wars on earth, a much stronger resistance to the human factors threatening the life of, and all the lives on, the earth, or a much stronger persistence in the search for, and implementation of, more equitable ways of sharing the goods of the earth among its peoples.

Since I do not believe that I can rely on Sheldon Whitehouse to bring the desired insistence, resistance, and persistence to the tasks, I pledge myself to invite the 26,673 voters who cast their votes for me to join with me, and with my many campaign supporters – groups and individuals – to seek to convince the Senator of the importance and superiority of those tasks of peace and justice, to bring pressure to bear upon him not to cave in to the pressures from the establishment and pro-status-quo leadership of his party, and to call him out and shame him when he does so.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all present and to all those others who contributed in great and smaller ways to the initiation and carrying out of the campaign since my decision to run, my candidacy announcement and formal declaration to the Secretary of State, the collection of the signatures required, and the publicity and canvassing up to this day. I look forward to continued collaboration with you and with the many others who voted for me and who, we hope, will step forward to do the work of establishing peace with and through justice.


See:

Pat Fontes is challenging Sheldon Whitehouse on war and the environment

Pat Fontes is running for United States Senate


Pat Fontes