Evansville， Indiana

April 22， 2008

I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on her victory tonight， and I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who stood with our campaign today.

There were a lot of folks who didn t think we could make this a close race when it started. But we worked hard， and we traveled across the state to big cities and small towns， to factory floors and VFW halls. And now， six weeks later， we closed the gap. We rallied people of every age and race and background to our cause. And whether they were inspired for the first time or for the first time in a long time， we registered a record number of voters who will lead our party to victory in November.

These Americans cast their ballot for the same reason you came here tonight； for the same reason that millions of Americans have gone door？to？door and given whatever small amount they can to this campaign； for the same reason that we began this journey just a few hundred miles from here on a cold February morning in Springfield because we believe that the challenges we face are bigger than the smallness of our politics， and we know that this election is our chance to change it.

After fourteen long months， it s easy to forget this from time to time to lose sight of the fierce urgency of this moment. It s easy to get caught up in the distractions and the silliness and the tit？for？tat that consumes our politics； the bickering that none of us are immune to， and that trivializes the prof