As of writing (9:06PM on 11/30/22), 99% of ballots have been counted and I trail by 207 votes (7,215 votes vs. 7,422). Election day was 3 weeks ago and my loss has looked definitive for the last 2, after an early lead disappeared and I watched the late votes go further and further the other way.
When I first started this thing, I wouldn't have believed that the outcome would be so close. I wasn't running to lose, but I figured that replacing an incumbent would be a tall task. I guess it's just a matter of inertia - easier to keep the status quo than to change things. The thing that boggled my mind, though, is the number of voters I met that expressed a desire for change. The voters that said things in Alum Rock were not going well, and hadn't been - "It's always been that way," being one of the common things I heard. How could so many people in a community agree that a school district needed improvement, only for every incumbent on the ballot to be voted right back in? Maybe the optimistic way to look at it is that thousands of voters wanted change and were willing to hang their hat on a local high school teacher. Yeah, I think I'll go with that.
Regardless of how things turned out, I gained plenty of experience along the way:
- Opening a bank account (seriously, this was a pain in the ass that required visits to multiple banks and several dead ends)
- The importance of getting your ducks lined up as early as possible - endorsements, finding other candidates you align with, and organizational backing.
- The necessity of campaign lit - can't just go walking around introducing yourself to people, hoping that it'll stick
- The importance of voter data (which neighborhoods have the greatest voter density, where to target voters, etc. etc.)
- Filing paperwork - I actually don't think I even have this down pat, but the growing pains early on were pretty rough.
Not to mention working on the nerves of pitching myself to voters - after all, elections essentially amount to getting the greatest number of people to trust you, your background, and your decision making. I didn't succeed at that, but I came a lot farther than I thought I would. & just because I'm not part of the Board doesn't mean I'm not hoping the problems don't get fixed. After all, I ran in part because I have to deal with the consequences of the decisions made by these people. If things were going so swimmingly, I wouldn't have entered the ring to try and make change.
Besides personal disappointment, there's also the guilt of letting people down. After losing, it feels like I just gathered ~$5,000 from family and friends and lit it on fire. It probably has to do with my sense of frugality, but goddamn what a waste. It would be one thing if y'all backed a winning horse, but the sting of losing really has a way of spoiling just about everything.
Put plainly, losing this campaign sucks. I'll have to go to work for the next 2 years with the likely knowledge that decision makers will continue sending students to Independence severely unprepared for high school. I'll just keep on keeping on because I'm far from finishing the 30 years I set out to teach, but it's so annoying that I missed an opportunity to try and bring about change at a more critical junction of these students' lives.
Although my disappointment has been stewing for awhile, I also want to note my appreciation for everyone along the way - every dollar donated, every post shared, every door knocked. I couldn't cross the finish line with enough juice, but I certainly had the support to do so. & while nothing is set in stone, I've already got my eyes set on the next election. It feels a ways away right now, but I know I've got plenty of work to do between now and then. Here's to 2024.
