First off, I want to thank you for being in my corner since I announced my candidacy in October. I'm sure you heard yesterday that I've decided to step aside and withdraw my name from consideration for the Democratic nomination to the United States Senate.
This was not an easy decision, but one I made with careful consideration and counsel from my family, friends, and advisors.
Frankly, 2010 was just not the year to mount a successful run for the US Senate. When I jumped in this race, I underestimated the amount of time it would take away from seeing my wife and kids. Living in Fort Mill, it takes hours for me to get anywhere in the state. I had to leave the house before my kids got up in the morning, and wouldn't return until after they went to sleep. And when you have 3 kids all under the age of nine, this is extremely tough on them. They are in the prime of their youth and I cannot be the dad who misses every recital, every soccer game, and every school event. I will not be that dad.
In a couple of years, the Senate will still be there, my kids won't.
Over the last few months, I traveled from Rock Hill to Charleston, Myrtle Beach to Aiken, Beaufort to Florence, and everywhere in between. I met with steel workers who had lost their jobs after the Steel Mill closed in Georgetown. I met residents in Winnsboro who couldn't get Jim DeMint to return a call after their request for a water system in Fairfield County. I spoke with folks in Horry County who were literally kicked out of Senator DeMint's office in Washington because they were asking for support for I-73. Everyone I met, Democrat or Republican, had lost all faith in our political leaders. They were sick of the extreme partisanship that runs rampant in Washington and in Columbia. Everyone was ready for a change, and I wanted to be that change.
Every day, I spent most of my time doing what candidates for political office have to do: ask for money. I've never enjoyed asking people for things. I've worked for everything I've ever had, but this was different. I literally relied on people's financial support to keep the campaign afloat. Nobody likes to ask for money, especially me. In just a few short months, after thousands of phone calls and numerous fundraisers, I had raised just under a quarter of a million dollars.
Some people were unhappy that I wasn't as liberal as most Democrats in South Carolina. Some people were upset that I couldn't support abortion-on-demand, or government-run single-payer healthcare. I was unwilling to change my beliefs on any issue. I'm proud that I entered this race as Chad McGowan, and even prouder that I exited the same way.
Career politicians like Jim DeMint are detrimental to our state and to the political process. Politicians like DeMint think it's all about getting your name in the paper, or your face on the news, even if it's for all the wrong reasons. I decided to run because of the extreme partisanship that exists in politics today. It has only gotten worse since then, and it's not doing South Carolina any good. DeMint has become a part of a corrupt system that has infested Washington and will continue to infect our government until we elect people who vote in the best interests of the people they represent, not the special interests who finance their campaigns. Jim DeMint has never been on the side of middle-class families, and his voting record reflects it. We must defeat obstructionists like Jim DeMint and Joe Wilson in 2010. I'm willing to help any competent candidate who steps forward to hold these guys accountable. Our state and country depend on it.
I am forever grateful for those of you who believed in me and invested their time, money, and support in my candidacy. As I said in my press release, when my kids are at an age where they can stand the demands of a statewide campaign, I'll get back into the fight.
But until then, the cause lives on - and our system is still broken.
Let's do something about it.
Thank you again,
Chad McGowan
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