Dear Volunteer or Friend,

Just letting you know that, because the Democratic primary in CD6 is so close, I’m waiting for the OFFICIAL election results. An election official has told me that the official results won’t be out until hopefully, he said, Tuesday.

The latest UNOFFICIAL results of the primary, as of Aug. 29 at 2:19 PM are:

Matt Jette: 9688 50.98%

W. John Williamson: 9317 49.02%

Even though 100% of the precincts have reported, there are still ballots to be counted. Provisional ballots, for example. Perhaps the ballots of astronauts who faxed their votes in from the International Space Station as well, I don’t know. In fact, this official told me that the election workers at the County Recorder’s office are going to be working until 10:00 PM on Saturday to get everything counted; not just for the CD6 race, but for all the races in the county. He also said that the county election workers are not guaranteed a Labor Day holiday if their work has not been completed.

So given that I have been running for U.S. Congress for just over a year and 9317 voters have placed their trust, rightly so, in me, it is best to stand by for the official results before drawing any conclusions. As an English teacher, it’s not hard to think of examples in the plays of Shakespeare of characters who jumped to conclusions and made decisions before all the facts were in. Romeo and Juliet for two; and I think it was Cassius in JULIUS CAESAR who thought his friend had been taken prisoner but that was not the case at all. He misconstrued what he saw and made a bad decision after that. (Correct me if I’m wrong, Dave L., on the character’s name in JULIUS CAESAR.)

So I’m going to wait until the OFFICIAL results are in and then assess the situation.

The election official I talked to also said that if the difference in votes is 100 or less, an automatic recount is triggered. (Wayne M., I think that addresses your question.)

That election night was sure a hoot, though, wasn’t it? When I started to watch the votes rolling in, it became clear that more than my Mom, my daughter and myself had voted for me. It’s very gratifying that, as of Aug. 29 at 2:19 PM, the unofficial results show that, as of that moment, 9317 people had voted for me. I and the campaign volunteers, supporters, contributors and those with yard signs must have done something right. I attach two photos from our ELECTION NIGHT GATHERING: in the first, I’m with my wonderful daughter, Maryanne; in the second, I’m with Jason, the manager that evening at DENNY’S at Scottsdale and Osborn Roads. Jason has worked in the restaurant business for some 20-plus years, but now is majoring in Biology at a local community college, pursuing his original dream before family responsibilities took him on another path.

So the vigil continues until the OFFICIAL results are in and I and my advisors can see what they are. Perhaps there will be good news, who knows?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. My campaign phone number is 480-607-9726; or send an e-mail.

Thanks for continuing to hang in there with me.

Sincerely,

W. John Williamson

Candidate for U.S. Congress, CD6