Representative Angie Nixon concession speech | FULL

Thank y'all. Florida, love y'all. To every single person who has been a part of this journey, I am so incredibly proud of what we built together. Tonight, the results are not what we worked for. They are not what we hoped for. And I know there are a lot of people in this room and across the state that are hurting right now. But I'm an organizer, not a politician. And organizers don't quit on the mission because one option closes. I want y'all to hear me when I say this. We may not have won this election, but that outcome will not stop us from getting up, from getting up tomorrow to continue the fight to deliver what everyday hardworking Floridians need and deserve. They need a government that works for them and not the greedy corporations. I'm going to wake up tomorrow and keep fighting. Against the corruption that's keeping our wages stagnant and driving up our costs. I won't rest until every Floridian has the access to the health care they need. Till Social Security is protected for every senior. And every young Floridian can build a future where they can thrive and not just survive. We built, we have built something. That no election outcome can take away from us. When we started this campaign, people told us it could not be done. They told us a working class black woman, an organizer, a state rep from Jacksonville, Florida, Moncrief to be exact. They told us that we couldn't compete with the political establishment. They told us we couldn't raise the money. They told us we couldn't build the infrastructure. They told us to get in line, to wait our turn, and accept that this was just the way it worked in Florida. But y'all know me, I have never, ever been very good at accepting what somebody else tells me is possible. And neither have you. We took on the political establishment. We were outspent 20 to one in our primary, and we won. And then we took this movement from the panhandle all the way to the Florida Keys. We knocked on doors in that hot Florida sun that had never ever been knocked. We knocked on doors that were never ever knocked before. We made phone calls to voters, to voters that thought no one was listening to them. I'm gonna say that again. Conversations with people about them, in churches, in union halls, did you see that barbershop and living room we brought together, Democrats, Republicans, a libertarian said he voted for me today, who had nothing to offer them, and because of the work that you all did, we all gave people something to believe in again, we reminded them. We reminded those people that their voices matter, that their lives matter, and that they deserve a government that works for them. I want to thank our incredible volunteers. I said I want to thank our incredible volunteers. Volunteers, a hundred, over a hundred thousand volunteers, our organizers, Our campaign staff, our supporters, our donors. And every single person who gave what they could. Some of y'all gave $5 when you didn't have $5 to spare. Some of you all worked a full shift, picked up your kids, and then went right back out to knock on doors or pick up the phone and call voters. Some of you all, some of you all have never volunteered for a campaign in your life until now. And some of you all have been fighting this fight longer than I have been alive. I see you. I appreciate you. I thank you. And I love you. Y'all gotta stop taking my lines. Don't take my lines. To my family. To my family. My husband. My kids. My mom. My brother. Thank you for sharing me with the people of Florida and for keeping me grounded through every moment of this journey. To my friends, especially the ones that picked up juice for me when we couldn't, when we sometimes left a little longer in daycare. Thank you, Ms. Higgins and Ms. Tracy. And to my hometown, Burla, Duke County, you all raised me, you shaped me. And you taught me that when things get tough, you don't run away from the fight. You stand ten toes down with me in this fight for a better Florida. And that's exactly what we're going to deliver. An election can determine who holds an office. It does not determine whether the people struggling to survive, Jesus Christ. It does not determine whether the people struggling to survive deserve better. Because here's the thing, y'all, change can't wait. Change can't wait for the next election. Change can't wait for the next politician to find the courage to stand up to the billionaires and corporations making our lives harder. Change can't wait for Washington to finally decide that working families matter. Tomorrow morning, that mother working two jobs is still going to need affordable child care. That senior is still going to have to find the money to purchase their prescription drugs. That teacher is still going to deserve a living wage. That mechanic with a small business still needs relief from those tariffs. And that family sitting around the kitchen table trying to figure out how they're going to pay their rent, their insurance, their health care. And their light bill is still going to need somebody. Angie Nixon speaking live right now in Jacksonville at her election night party. But we have another big race call for you. We can now tell you that the AP has just called the Florida governor's race for Byron Donalds.