Critz acceptance speech

Text of Mark Critz's comments in PA-12 (full comments after the jump):

I am honored. I am humbled. But most of all, I am proud to stand before you as the next Representative of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District!

The voters of this district won a great victory tonight. But it’s a bittersweet.  Because we wouldn’t be here right now if Jack Murtha hadn’t left us too soon.

Throughout this campaign, I’ve thought about the many lessons Congressman Murtha taught me when I served as his director of economic development.  He often said to me, “it’s about the work.”  It is. And I’m going to work tirelessly every day in Congress for the families of Western Pennsylvania.

Tonight, the voters of this district rejected the false attacks and partisan divisions. Instead, they came together – as Democrats, Republicans, Independents to support our fight for jobs. 

They came together as Pennsylvanians, to support our campaign to

• End tax breaks for companies that outsource our jobs;
• Replace unfair trade deals with a better deal for Pennsylvania’s workers;
• Invest in clean coal technology and new energy jobs so we can protect our coal industry and make sure that the road to America’s clean energy future runs through Western Pennsylvania.
• Give tax breaks to small businesses that employ so many of our friends and neighbors; and

Thanks to you, these are the fights we will now win in Congress!

There are so many people to thank tonight.

First and foremost, my thanks to the voters of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District.  You are the ones who proved that elections aren’t decided by false attacks or by pundits or polls.

You decided that when it comes to protecting and creating jobs, we’re all in this together. Tonight’s victory is your victory. 

I am humbled by your faith and trust – and I pledge to work every day to bring jobs and economic development back to Western Pennsylvania.

Thank you to my wife Nancy and our two great kids. All campaigns, especially one this hard-fought, require families to sacrifice. I would not be standing here without their love and support. Thank you.    

There is someone else I wish to thank, a strong supporter of this campaign and one of the great pillars of our community – the graceful Mrs. Joyce Murtha!

Thank you to my brothers and sisters in organized labor for your tireless work in this long fight.  I am grateful for all that you did.

I am also grateful to the remarkable volunteers who gave their time to knock on doors, dial phones, and help me spread the word about what’s at stake in this campaign.

Finally to Tim Burns and his supporters – I look forward to earning your support over the coming months and years and moving ahead together as Pennsylvanians to protect and create the jobs Western Pennsylvania families so desperately need.

Over the past months I’ve repeatedly said that this campaign was about what was best for Washington, Pennsylvania, not Washington, DC.  We kept our focus on the people of Western Pennsylvania and our dedication to bringing jobs to the district.  We committed to bringing folks opportunities to provide for their families and making sure their children had access to the same opportunities with good paying jobs in the future.  Now it’s time to come together, put aside partisanship, roll up our sleeves, and get to work for Western Pennsylvania, and that’s what I’m going to do.  I promise to work tirelessly on your behalf to make this commitment a reality for their families. 

Jack Murtha spent his life working to bring jobs and opportunity to our communities. That was his fight for 36 years and our communities are better because of it.  

While nobody can fill his shoes, thanks to what you did in this campaign, I now have the extraordinary honor of continuing his fight for jobs and following in his footsteps to Congress.