I lost a very important election. Someone else won a very important election.

“Failure” & “Death” are two friends I’ve known throughout my life. These unwelcome friends show up from time to time to remind me “time” is a footnote to life.

This footnote to life, whose name is “TIME,” she cares not that I love-or-not or win or lose. She advances forward with each passing moment. She stays for no-one. She has already passed on my candidacy. She is on to the next candidate and their election cycle.

“Success” & “Life” are two friends I’ve known throughout my life, too. These two friends picked me up and whispered in my ears last night and reminded me this morning to get up and continue for “TIME” waits for no-one.

Although success was not my destiny for this election cycle, I am grateful this opportunity was in my path. I pay a graceful unconditional thank-you to each person I met along this political journey. The truth hurts and yet I still want to hear and understand it. I truly appreciate this joyous loss.

A voter texted me this morning,
“Jeron congrats on running. Most people would not have the courage that you had. You reminded me of a quote from Teddy Roosevelt. You are the MAN in the RING.

"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."

A tear in my eye goes to every person who lost. And, a tear in my other eye goes to every person who won.

Mrs Van Duyne, you won. Beth Van Duyne, congratulations.

Sincerely,
Jeron Liverman
March 4th, 2020