Dear Democrats:
For the past sixteen months, the Democratic Party has endured the longest and hardest-fought primary contest for the presidential nomination in its history. Many of us have given our convictions, our labor, and perhaps most of all, our emotions to this historic race. And after all the campaigning, the hours sacrificed to make calls, the spare cash donated, the weekends spent knocking on the doors of strangers, our nation has voted, and Barack Obama has emerged as our next nominee for president.
For the first time in the life of our great democracy, a woman and an African American were seriously poised to receive our nomination. Though it is a grave misfortune that we could only choose one, our Party has made history, and on November 4, we will make history again when we defeat John McCain and take back the White House.