Despite losing he says he's a winner

How do you thank an entire county?

During my judicial campaign I met thousands of residents, and I was overwhelmed with the warm reception I received. Tens of thousands voted for me on election day. Hundreds volunteered their time. Many more donated directly to the campaign in the midst of a terrible recession. Nearly 100 endorsed me. How does one ever repay that?

If I live to be 100, I will never forget the outpouring of support I received from friends, neighbors and total strangers. I will remember forever the 65 folks who served on my committee, the folks who displayed 100 car magnets, put 1,700 yard signs in their front yards, sent out 6,000 friend-to-friend postcards, wrote letters to the editor, hosted or attended coffees, hosted or attended fundraisers, phone banked two nights a week, helped produce our TV commercial or the YouTube videos, helped build our parade float, performed on our float or marched with us in parades, canvassed for us, wore one of the 1,000 buttons or 250 T-shirts, used e-mail or social media to help get the word out, put me on the radio, helped me install or take down signs, invited me to speak to their club or group or simply voted for me.

So many people did so much for me over the course of the past year and a half that I'm sure I'm not even listing all the myriad ways in which they expressed their support. Rest assured that every thing done was appreciated deeply appreciated.

I'm an optimist. I believe the only thing in the world of lasting value is human relationships. During the course of the campaign, even though we got less votes than the opposition, I made countless new friends and deepened my relationship with countless current friends. As far as I'm concerned, that makes me a winner.

John G. Dalton

Elgin