<TriceEdneyWire.com> — I am blessed to have lived and worked in Michigan for several years, and I have rarely been prouder of what I saw from voters and candidates in this year’s Democratic primary for the United States Senate.
The race between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed went down to the wire. Because I had friends supporting both candidates, I stayed up watching until the end. I respect both of them. They share many of the concerns I have about our country, and I applaud the campaigns they ran and, just as important, the way they conducted themselves after the votes were counted.
Dr. El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination. Congresswoman Stevens conceded. Yet neither used the moment to belittle the other. There was no need to humiliate an opponent or turn a hard-fought primary into permanent bitterness. Their words after the race showed something we have seen far too little of in American politics: respect.
That spirit should not be dismissed as mere courtesy. It is part of democracy’s discipline. Elections produce winners and losers, but citizenship continues after Election Day, and so must our responsibility.
That matters deeply.
Campaigns are supposed to give voters a choice. They should expose differences, test ideas and force candidates to explain what they believe. But once the voters decide, democracy also requires something else: the ability to accept the result, respect the process and decide what comes next.
Michigan voters did their part. Participation was strong, and the close race showed how seriously many people took the choice before them. Now the responsibility moves forward to November.
The best ‘thank you’ voters can give these candidates is to vote again and bring someone with them.
For nearly two years, Americans have endured political conduct that too often has been marked by vulgarity, dishonesty, corruption, cruelty and disrespect. We should not accept that behavior as normal simply because it comes from people seeking or holding public office.
I would urge candidates from every political party to look at what happened in Michigan and remember that disagreement does not require degradation. You can fight for your position without destroying another person. You can lose without attacking the country. You can win without treating the people who opposed you as enemies.
Our children are watching.
Many young people are discouraged by what they see in politics. Some have decided that voting does not matter. Others believe staying away from the process is itself a statement.
It is not.
If young people want different leaders, they must vote for them. If they want different priorities, they must organize around them. If they believe government is failing them, some of them must prepare themselves to run for office.
You cannot change the game from the sidelines.
I learned that lesson many years ago at a little college in Louisiana where a man named Eddie Robinson spent his life teaching young people how to win. Coach Robinson became one of the winningest coaches in college football history, but his lessons were bigger than football.
He taught his players, and young women like me who were fortunate enough to be around him, that you do not leave the game until it is over.
That lesson stayed with me.
Life has never been easy for me. I have lost battles. I have seen doors close. I have watched progress come slowly and sometimes move backward. But I have also learned that quitting guarantees nothing will change.
So I am still in the game, Coach.
I am still working to make a difference. I am still encouraging young people to understand their power. I am still asking people to participate rather than complain from the sidelines.
And one of the most important ways to stay in the game is still one of the simplest:
Vote.
Then bring somebody with you.
