title:  After Loss, Democratic Senate Candidate Writes Statement That EVERY SINGLE Progressive Should See
text: Let s get something straight here   Americans did not elect Donald Trump. Our system did. And although Republicans retained majorities in both houses of Congress, they did so extremely narrowly, and it s very likely that more people voted Democratic than Republican. Sound unfair? It is.With that in mind, it s not over. It s never over. The causes progressives fight for still need our voices, our action, and in the not-too-distant future, our votes. We need to start organizing right now, today, to undo all of the damage Republicans are going to do over the next two years. There are no other options on the table other than to fight tooth and nail at every level.Luckily, it appears that some Democratic leaders understand that. Jason Kander, a veteran and rising star in the Democratic Party, was the secretary of state in Missouri   a very red state. You may remember him as the candidate that advocated for background checks while assembling a rifle blindfolded:Kander lost by only three points in a red state that voted for Trump by 19 percent, while running against an incumbent with 20 years in Washington   Republican Senator Roy Blunt. That s huge   and if Democrats hope to regain power, they re going to need candidates like Kander that can help them stay competitive when it comes to communicating with the white working class (who just MASSIVELY voted against their own interests). That s why it s extremely heartening to see that he s FAR from giving up. In a statement on his campaign website, Jason Kander states:This is the message where I m supposed to thank you for all you ve done for me, tell you how much it meant to me, and then say my goodbyes and wish you luck on your journey. I m supposed to say something like,  Perhaps our paths will cross again. But that s not how I roll. Of course, I am thankful to you and I m forever grateful for this experience. But why wouldn t I be? Let s talk about something important.We re all disappointed about Tuesday night s results. We lost an election. In fact, we   the Democrats   lost a whole mess of elections on Tuesday.But please know that I m going to be fine. My wife is gorgeous and brilliant and my son True is my best little buddy in the world. We are not the people who will be hurt by these election results. So please don t spend any time being sad for me. If you re going to be sad for someone, make it the single mom who has cancer and is scared to death about being unable to keep her insurance to continue treatments without Obamacare. Worry about the undocumented student who has only ever known this country and is worried about what happens to her now. Worry about the minimum wage worker trying to stretch $30 into a full grocery trip. Let your heart go out to the college student saddled with enormous debt and unable to get help from a parent whose own graduate degree has forced him into bankruptcy.I met each of those people, in real life, during this campaign. And it fueled me the whole way. But here s the thing, that fuel is still in my tank. Why? I love this country and I won t let losing an election force me away from the process.Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Yes, Donald Trump is going to be President and the Republicans control the House and the Senate, but I need that to double your resolve, not cause you to give up on our politics.You can read the rest of his statement here.If you agree this is EXACTLY the attitude we need right now, make sure to share this around. We cannot afford to ever give up.Featured image by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images