Thank You! And yes the glass is half full!

Dear Friends and Voters:

It was a very long night last night reviewing the election returns. For some, the glass may appear half empty. But others may view the glass as half full. I am among the latter.

We did not achieve the victory that we had hoped for. However, think of where we started and where we have come. Ten weeks ago, nobody in this state knew very much about me. I was an unknown.

In two months, my campaign gained incredible steam. We tried something that had never been done before by running a statewide campaign off the internet. We witnessed many of the candidates spending YOUR tax dollars in all of the wrong places. We didn't waste your dollars on useless signs, dull and unimaginative websites with visible computer code, meaningless polls and glossy flyers that ended up in the garbage. We ran this campaign for a fraction of the cost spent by the other candidates. For anyone out there, this campaign pioneered the way as a model for the future. Our results proved that campaigns can be effectively run off the internet.

We also had the right message and the right issues. The many emails that I received, people that I talked with and the election results established that. In some areas of the state, we achieved total victory; in other counties, we hung tough and were generally only beaten by small margins. Overall, we came within one (1) percentage point of defeating the Democratic Party machine and its anointed candidate; we came within four (4) percentage points of defeating the Republican Party machine and its chosen candidate. Translated into votes, I lost to the Democrat by approximately 50,000 votes and to the Republican by 135,000 votes. Many candidates lost their races by far larger margins. So we have much of which we can be proud.

I thank all of my college and adult Rangers out there for spreading the word on my behalf. They obtained victories in some places that may have eluded me otherwise. Of course, I could not have done it without my campaign staff. They deserve most of the credit for their hard work. And I especially thank you voters out there for your votes and support.

I received many emails from individuals who encouraged me not to give up the fight. I have heard far too many stories of corruption in this state. We have corruption at many levels, from various elected offices, to judges and members of the bar. In fact, the Republican candidate who allegedly violated the very federal law that he swore an oath to uphold, is now going to be sitting on the bench of our state's highest court. Many of you evidently do not mind having someone who cares nothing about breaking the law get elected to our Supreme Court.

Personally, I don't care that I didn't get the party's endorsement and that I did not win. Nor do I wish to upset the election, as you the voters have spoken. But I do find it an insult to both the office and to the people of this state that we have someone willing to break the law who will soon be holding one of the highest offices of our state. Its intolerable. He and his party cronies have engaged in a cover up in the hopes that the election would occur and he would win his office. They think that they have won without any consequences, but we are not going to let them get away with it. We plan on keeping the issue alive so that someone in authority will impose sanctions on this man. He needs to be sent a message that we out here do care and that there are penalties for those who violate the law with impunity.

We also witnessed the corruption of the Republican Party by some members of the party leadership. Unfortunately, it appears that while many of the Republican Party's candidates went down in defeat, the two candidates who mattered most secured a victory, thus ensuring that the leaders will keep their positions for the foreseeable future. In Vietnam, remember that the US military forces won many battles but ultimately lost the war. This is one battle that I intend to keep fighting. The leadership and its minions can rejoice for now, but my campaign staff is busily studying the election results. Next time, we will be better able to avoid any pitfalls that we encountered. Next time, we will come back even stronger.

I can't let the cat out of the bag about what we are planning, but as events evolve, I will keep you all posted. My plans do involve another run for office, maybe even on our Supreme Court. In the meantime, I will continue talking on our college campuses and to any other group who is interested.

We are leaving this website up. Those who wish to donate, feel free to do so. We have campaign debts to retire and we intend on fundraising for the next campaign. Those who are curious about the law, please ask your questions. For those who want to contact me, please continue to do so. Please be patient; I will respond to your emails and questions as my schedule permits.

Best wishes,

Rachel Lea Hunter
Candidate for NC Supreme Court Associate Justice