As this campaign ends, one of the saddest things for me is saying goodbye to the best team of volunteers in the entire state of Idaho. I cannot possibly thank all of you enough for all that you have done, and I wish that I could have produced a better result for you. Over the past year I have made so many new friends that I know that I will have for the rest of my life, and I cannot even begin to describe how much of a blessing that you have been to Meranda and I. It is going to take us some time to recover from this, but eventually we will do just that. And I want you to know that Meranda and I truly love you all. This is definitely a sad day, but all of us have so much to look forward to as we enter the next chapters of our lives.
Several months ago, the numbers told us that this was a very close race and that more than half of all voters were still undecided. We believed that if we simply out-worked and out-hustled the other teams that we would win. Unfortunately, we didn’t anticipate so much PAC money from outside groups coming into the race. The Washington D.C. establishment picked their guy, and they put enormous amounts of money behind him. At one point it was reported that Club for Growth alone spent $639,000 to promote Russ Fulcher, and the final figure will actually be much higher than that. Overall, we were probably outspent close to 10 to 1 by the other side, and it is nearly impossible to overcome that kind of financial disparity. We spent far less for each voter we won than they did, but they simply had far more money.
Over the past two months, there were non-stop television and radio ads promoting Fulcher. On top of that, voters were absolutely deluged with mailers urging them to vote for Russ Fulcher. We tried to keep up, but without any outside financial assistance at all we found ourselves at a tremendous disadvantage.
Even though we were up against long odds, I am so proud of our team for working so hard up until the very last hour. We actually won Boundary County, and we came in second in six other counties. We showed real strength in many of the rural areas, and they will be talking about what we were able to achieve in Idaho political circles for a very long time.
By the end, we had more than 250 volunteers working on this campaign. Over the course of the past year, I had gotten a feel for the other teams, and without a doubt we had the best team by far. I really wanted to win this thing for you guys, and it is going to hurt for a while that I was not able to do that.
I cannot possibly thank all of our volunteers individually in this email, but there are some that I want to single out. If I have left anyone important off this list I apologize in advance – I am not exactly in my best frame of mind right now. Like I said earlier, I love all of you, and I could never thank you enough for what you did to help this campaign.
First of all, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for an unforgettable experience. I never would have gotten to travel so extensively, make so many new friends or have my faith stretched in so many unique ways if I had not run for this seat. Now that this campaign is over, I need to simply spend some time walking with God. Without Him I wouldn’t even be alive today, and because of Him we will be able to have a great reunion in heaven someday.
In addition, I would also like to thank the following people from the bottom of my heart…
Meranda – God has given me a wife that is far more wonderful than I deserve. Thank you honey for always supporting me on all of my crazy adventures. Our new child is due in July, and that will be far more of a blessing than any political victory ever could be. Whatever happens, every day is a great day because I get to spend it with you.
Christian – I don’t know what I did to deserve the best darn campaign manager in the entire state of Idaho. We never even would have had a campaign without Christian, and everyone agrees that he has an exceedingly bright future ahead. I will never forget our long talks as we traveled up and down the state of Idaho, and I could never thank you enough for your tireless efforts.
The rest of the Fioravantis – Steve, Lynda, Gabe and Mary have all been so fantastic. Most of you don’t even know about the endless hours they spent at night putting together mailers and doing so much of the other work that made our campaign go. They deserved a better result, and I wish that we could have given them one.
Stephanie and Scott – When we originally asked Stephanie to be our state volunteer coordinator, she probably never imagined that she would spend literally hundreds of hours on the campaign. Scott and Stephanie have become very close friends, and they are some of the most incredible people that you could ever hope to meet.
Melissa – It has been quite a journey. Melissa reached out to us after seeing me on Infowars, and she was one of our first key people down in south Idaho. I really wanted to get you a win Melissa, but I couldn’t pull it off. I hope that you stay engaged in politics, and we will definitely work together to help Trump win in 2020.
Susan and Rick – Susan and Rick have been my “secret weapons” from the start. Most of you don’t even know that they spent an hour and a half in the White House recently with Trump’s political team. They fought as hard as they could to get a Trump endorsement for us, and I will be forever grateful for that and for all the other things that you did for us.
Chandler – I can’t say enough good things about Chandler. He walked precinct after precinct down in Ada County all by himself, and he was constantly coming up with more good ideas for the campaign. I wish that we could have rewarded your hard work with a victory, because you definitely deserved it.
Rachelle – Kootenai County was a hard nut to crack for our campaign, and I really appreciate all that you did. Your time in north Idaho has been a challenge, but we are go glad that you are here. May the Lord bless you and your entire family, and may your best days in north Idaho be ahead.
Jonathan and Charity – What more can be said about the Catlin clan? The reason we won those KIDO online polls is because those kids were clicking away like crazy. And I think that your family collectively spent more time sign waving for our campaign than anyone else. Thank you for everything guys.
Pastor Jim – You are a true man of God, and it was a real privilege to get to know you. Even though you live in Ada County, you decided to be our guy in Canyon County because that is where we needed the help. I know that this campaign has helped you to make many new friendships, and I pray that the next chapter of your life will be a very fruitful one.
Kelsey – I will never forget those long late night discussions at Shari’s. You were with us from the very beginning, and you were still there at the very end. Thank you for your strength, your courage and your friendship, and I believe that God has big plans for you in the days ahead.
Gary and Penny – Gary, you inspired countless numbers of people on the Kevin Miller Show the other morning, and you were an endless source of inspiration for me throughout the latter stages of this campaign. You two kept fighting all the way up until the end, and you helped give me the strength to keep going even when all seemed lost.
Tara Barling – The first time that I met you I knew that you were a fireball, and your passion and energy were evident throughout this process. Thank you for being a fighter, and thank you for getting so many others involved in the campaign. I just wish that we could have pulled out a victory for you.
Ernest and Linda Walker – We were brought together by the Jim Bakker Show, but I never imagined how instrumental you two would be throughout the campaign. Originally we had other key people in Gem County, but in the end you two were the real gems. Thank you.
Garry and Kristy Young – I actually believed that we would win Owyhee County thanks to you two, but that didn’t end up happening. But nobody can ever question your work ethic, and I will always remember the days that Christian and I got to spend at your place. You two are special, and I thank you for everything.
Tom Munds – There is nobody quite like Tom Munds. Christian and I really wanted to win this thing for you, because I know what it would have meant. Your support and friendship mean the world to me, and I wish that we could have gotten a better result for you.
Sam Harrich – We came in second in Latah County, and your hard work definitely helped make that possible. You definitely have a bright future ahead of you, so study hard. And if you ever need a reference, please feel free to use me as one.
Tom Eier – Your love for Lewiston is contagious. After spending an afternoon with you, I had an entirely different perspective on the city, and I just wish that I could have gotten to spend more time with you. You are one of the favorite people that I met along the way, and I thank you for all the help that you gave us.
Jennifer McClelland – That extremely windy day that we spent banging in signs out in Fruitland with your father will be etched in my memory forever. You have been such a blessing, and I really wish that we could have gotten a victory for you. But I know that you have a very bright future ahead. Shalom my friend!
Mark Gundert – Over the past year you have encouraged us on an almost daily basis on Facebook. Thank you for your support, prayers and friendship. I know that you really wanted us to win, and I am sorry that we could not get that done.
Julia Long – I will always, always, always remember the praying women of Genessee. When we arrived in town that day, it was after one of the lowest moments of our campaign, and seeing you all praying outside next to one of our campaign signs was one of those “God moments” that I will never forget. All of you are so special, and all of you will always have such a special place in my heart.
Pro-Life – I never imagined that this process would result in us becoming such good friends, and I am so glad that I have gotten to know you. Now you are moving on the general election as the Constitution Party candidate, and I wish you the very best as you take on Russ Fulcher. But be careful – he is a sneaky one.
There are so many others that sacrificed so much to make our campaign possible, and I will never forget any of you.
As for me, I will be going back to my writing, and through my writing I am able to touch lives literally all over the planet.
So I will remain involved in trying to change things for the better, and I am definitely a better person as a result of getting to know all of you.
They say that life is like a coin – you can spend it any way that you want, but you can only spend it once.
Spend your life for something that really matters.
I love you all.
In Liberty,
Michael Snyder