Transcript: Clinton's Victory Speech

Nov. 7, 2000 -- HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you.

AUDIENCE: Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!

CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you so much. I mean, wow, this isamazing. Thank you all. Thank you.

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You know, we started this great effort on a sunny July morning inPinder’s Corner on Pat and Liz Moynihan’s beautiful farm. And 62 counties, 16 months, three debates, two opponents and six blackpantsuits later, because of you, here we are.

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You came out and said that issues and ideals matter; jobs matter,down state and upstate; health care matters; education matters; theenvironment matters; Social Security matters; a woman’s right tochoose matters.

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It all matters. And I just want to say from the bottom of myheart: Thank you, New York.

Thank you for opening up your minds and your hearts,for seeing the possibility of what we could do together for ourchildren and for our future here in this state and in our nation. Iam profoundly grateful to all of you for giving me the chance to serveyou.

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I will do everything I can to be worthy of your faith and trust,and to honor the powerful example of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

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I would like all of you and the countless New Yorkers andAmericans watching to join me in honoring him for his incredible half-century of service to New York and our nation.

Senator Moynihan, on behalf of New York and America, thank you.

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And I thank Chuck Schumer for his generous support andfriendship.

He has been and will be a great champion for the peopleof New York. And I very much look forward to fighting by his side inthe United States Senate.

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I want to thank both of my opponents, Mayor Giuliani andCongressman Lazio.

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Congressman Lazio and I just spoke. I congratulate him on ahard-fought race, and I thank him for his service to the people of NewYork and Long Island. And I wish him, Pat and their two beautifuldaughters well.

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I promise you tonight that I will reach across party lines tobring progress for all of New York’s families. Today we voted asDemocrats and Republicans; tomorrow we begin again as New Yorkers.

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And how fortunate we are, indeed, to live in the most diverse,dynamic and beautiful state in the entire union.

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You know, from the South Bronx to the southern tier, fromBrooklyn to Buffalo, from Montauk to Massena, from the world’s tallestskyscrapers to breathtaking mountain ranges, I’ve met people whosefaces and stories I will never forget.

Thousands of New Yorkers from all 62 counties welcomedme into your schools, your local diners, your factory floors, yourliving rooms and front porches. You taught me. You tested me. Andyou shared with me your challenges and concerns about overcrowded orcrumbling schools, about the struggle to care for growing children andaging parents, about the continuing challenge of providing equalopportunity for all, and about children moving away from their hometowns because good jobs are so hard to find in upstate New York.

Now, I’ve worked on issues like these for a long time. Some ofthem for 30 years, and I am determined to make a difference for all ofyou.

You see, I believe our nation owes every responsiblecitizen and every responsible family the tools that they need to makethe most of their own lives. That’s the basic bargain I’ll do my best to honor in the United States Senate.

And to those of you who did not support me, I want you to knowthat I will work in the Senate for you and all New Yorkers. And tothose of you who worked so hard and never lost faith, even in thetoughest times, I offer you my undying gratitude.

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I will work my heart out for you for the next six years. And Iwouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the steady support of so manypeople. I want to thank Charlie Rangel, Nita Lowey, and the entireNew York Democratic congressional delegation, my future colleagues.

I’m very grateful for the support of our Democratic statewideelected officials and my good friends, Carl McCall (ph) and ElliottSpitzer (ph).

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I want to thank Shelly Silver (ph) and all the Democraticassembly members, and Marty Connor and all the Democratic members ofthe state Senate. I want to thank all of my upstate friends whocouldn’t be here tonight, including Tony Maccello (ph), Bill Johnson,Jerry Jennings (ph), Mike Breslin (ph), Mark Thomas (ph), all thecounty chairs and other elected officials.

And thank you to all of my down-state friends, Andy Spano (ph)and the county chairs and all the elected officials, and particularlymy friends right here in New York City, the city-wide officials, theborough presidents, the City Council members. And two great friends,former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins.

And somebody just yelled: “Don’t forget Long Island.We got beat up out there.” And I am grateful to everybody from LongIsland.

And I want to thank all my friends in the state Democratic Partyleadership, Judith Hope (ph), Mike Shell (ph), Denise King (ph).

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And to all the hard-working labor leaders who really helped turnout the vote today, Dennis Hughes (ph) and Dennis Rivera (ph), RandyWeingarten (ph), Lee Saunders (ph), Brian McLaughlin (ph), Tom Hobart(ph), Danny Donahue (ph), Ed Malloy (ph), and the other local, stateand national labor leaders whose support was so crucial.

And I want to thank all of the people who started volunteeringwith me from the very beginning.

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You knocked on doors, you raised funds, you built rallies, youdid everything necessary to bring us to this point.

And today, I want to thank the 25,000 volunteers fromall across the state, who started phone banking, knocking on doors,giving out palm cards the minute the polls opened at 6:00 a.m. anddidn’t stop until the last voter left. You made a difference in thisrace, and I’m very grateful to you.

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And I want to thank Harold Ickes, my campaign chairman; BillDeBlasio, my campaign manager; and Gigi Georges, the coordinatedcampaign director. And I want to thank the best, hardest workingcampaign staff any candidate has ever had.

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And, finally, I want to echo Chuck Schumer in saying that I knowI would not be here without my family. And I want to thank my motherand my brothers, and I want to thank my husband and my daughter.

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You know, because this campaign was about ideas and issues, wehave a lot of work to do.

And I am looking forward to doing that work with all ofyou, from one end of the state to the other.

I, tonight, am just overwhelmed by the kindness and support thatI’ve been given. And I will work my heart out for the next six yearsfor all of you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and God bless you all.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you and good night.

Thank you.