I wanted to take time to say thank you. I felt that this was the right time to do it.

The support from this community has just been tremendous. From the earliest days you have been behind me and offered enthusiastic support throughout my campaign. I believe that this election was special, and one of the "special" it was the "coming of age" of the power of this new medium.

Forums across the web allowed Americans, despite busy lives and tight schedules, to remain an integral part of our civic fabric. We saw in the posts on this site and others like it the sort of discourse that was once conducted in town halls and parlors being molded to the realities of modern life. The web has allowed yet more expression of the ideals and principles so deeply held by Americans. Moreover, in this election, that expression was heard loud and clear by those outside of the blogosphere and the political landscape was altered because of it. I look forward to working with all of you as this community continues to grow and evolve.

Happy New Year as we go forward to effect change, so that we can ensure that the best of holidays are yet to come for the children of America.  

I'll be checking comments here and would love to hear your feedback.

Three days to go, and Sestak campaign HQ is busier than I've ever seen it! There's a real energy in the air here.

Volunteers are flooding in and out on their way to and from canvassing, or picking up lawn signs (we just got a new order in -- if you live in the area, come pick one up!). The phonebanking room is completely packed, and volunteers are sitting near every free phone making calls to voters! The Philadelphia Inquirer even ran a story today, "Sestak unleashes turnout machine." If you want to volunteer this weekend, sign up here.

If you live in Delaware, Montgomery, or Chester counties - or anywhere in the Philadelphia area - this is a great weekend to head out to a Sestak event. Vice President Al Gore will be appearing with Joe at two of five GOTV rallies to pump up the troops! More info below, or click here.

Even if you can't make it to the 7th District, you can still stay involved! Check the Sestak for Congress Election Day HQ for updates from over the weekend. On Election Day, we will be providing live updates from the ground, covering any polling place problems, results, and live-blogging Joe's visits to polling places.

We wanted to give you an update from the campaign trail here in Pennsylvania's 7th District, where Joe Sestak is facing 20 year incumbent Curt Weldon.

The campaign is tied in the polls, tied in fundraising, and building a massive armada of grassroots volunteers to carry us to victory! Here is some of the great news coming out of the Sestak for Congress campaign:

Today, I gave the national Democratic response to President Bush's radio address. You can read my remarks below, or listen to the address online.

National Radio  Address
"Democrats Will Keep  America Secure"

Hello. My name is Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania; I am a former 3-star Vice Admiral who spent 31 years serving my country in our Navy -  they were the proudest years of my life. Today, I'd like to talk to you about a topic that's too important for partisan politics: a new direction for America's security.  

Last week, the Chairman of the 9/11 Commission made a startling comment. He said he didn't believe that security was a priority for the White House.

After recently retiring from the Navy, I returned to my home in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, to run for Congress. I was concerned that our national security was at risk. In the place I had learned leadership, hope and the meaning of American ideals, I found my fellow citizens were uneasy: our country was bogged down in Iraq, security elsewhere in the world was breaking down, safety at home was uncertain. Our leaders weren't leading.

In Delaware County, the percentage of families living in poverty has grown from 6.6 percent in 1989 to 8.9 percent in 2003. In contrast, Congress voted last month to up their own pay by another $3,300, meaning they will soon make $168,500 - more than three times the median income ($56,126) in the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Doesn't something seem wrong here?

Yesterday, Joe met with business owners, labor leaders, economists and supporters to unveil his economic plan and call for an increase in the minimum wage. But he also issued a challenge to Curt Weldon: stop hiding behind procedural votes and show real leadership. Sign the discharge petition sending a bill to increase the minimum wage to the floor for a vote.

This was posted at DailyKos earlier today, and got such a great response we wanted to cross-post it here too!

Netroots-endorsed Fightin' Dem Joe Sestak recently announced that he has raised $700,000 in the 2nd Quarter - beating his opponent, career politician Curt Weldon by almost $300,000!

The 1.12 million raised since Joe entered the race is an unprecedented amount for a Democrat in this District and has shattered all fundraising records in the District. The Democratic candidate for Congress in 2004 raised $27,000, while the previous four Democratic candidates raised only $78,000 combined in the past eight years. By comparison, the Netroots have raised almost $20,000 for Joe just this cycle, for which we are incredibly grateful!

First off, I would like to say thanks to all the people whose work went in to making the YearlyKos such a success.

When I looked out at the audience at YearlyKos, I could see that this wasn't just the youth of our country who were in attendance, as some might think.  This was and is who America is - people from all walks of life and of all ages.

With the sacrifices of those in our nation's armed forces fresh in our mind following Memorial Day, it's worth pointing out the sharp contrast between Joe Sestak - a progressive patriot - and Curt Weldon - an out of touch politician - on veterans issues.

Yesterday, Joe met with local veterans and veteran service providers, finding solutions and calling on Congress to support increased funding for veterans' services.