After primary loss, Robert Jackson is still fighting for public education
Robert Jackson is not the typical politician. He did not support public education so he could win elections, no, it was the reverse – he ran for office, in part, to help public education. And in defeat (he lost but a few hundred votes last Tuesday) he remains committed to public education in New York.
Here’s the classy letter he sent out:
| Jonathan — Thank you for standing with me in this incredible campaign and giving me the opportunity to run for State Senator.I am deeply grateful to each and every one who came to our Headquarters to make calls and those who reached out to their friends with “Dear Neighbor” letters or Facebook posts; or stood outside a subway station, an elementary school or polling site to hand out campaign literature; or read these emails and time and again helped us meet our funding goals; or simply greeted me with a smile at my daily morning and afternoon subway stops, on the street or at a senior center. Thank you also to the many labor unions, education and community activists and progressive groups who worked so hard on our behalf. And I especially want to thank our great interns who did so much to propel this campaign forward and hopefully were inspired to be part of the political process. While we finished 693 votes — out of more than 25,000 votes cast — short of winning, we can all hold our heads high and be proud of the race we ran. We worked hard, put together an amazing and diverse coalition of support and ran with energy, heart and integrity – standing up for the right priorities, staying true to the principles in which we believe and never wavering in support for better schools, affordable housing and more jobs and opportunities for all. While this campaign has ended, the work goes on and the challenges continue. My commitment to the community and causes came long before I decided to run, and will continue now that this race is over. I will continue to fight for a real Democratic majority in the State Senate, to reform Albany and our campaign finance laws and continue my lifetime fight for education, hope and opportunity to give every child the chance to succeed. In fact, starting October 2nd I will once again walk to Albany on behalf of our children as part of the AQE Education Walk to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision which ruled that the state is systemically underfunding Black, Latino, and low-income students in many districts. We will demand that NYS finally fully fund education in every district in NY. And while I had hoped to go as a Senator-elect, I am excited to participate as a parent leader, just as I was when we first made this walk. (read more here) I am proud of all we have accomplished and look forward to continue working with you for our community. You can email me at RobertJacksonNewYork@gmail.com with your thoughts, ideas and concerns. I hope you will stay in touch. Sincerely, Robert |
| -=-=-Jackson for Senate 2016 · United States |
By the way, those great interns? One was a former algebra student of mine. I was so proud!
JD2718 