When I first decided to run for U.S. Senate, I had two goals in mind. The first was to replace a person that I truly believe is one of the worst representatives in our nation. A man who continually put his own wishes and desires ahead of what was best for the American person. A man who used his office to enrich himself and his friends. A man who never considers how his decisions may affect the people of Oklahoma. I always knew that this would be challenging, but I also knew that it was a cause worth fighting for. Yes, it would be hard, but you know what else is hard? Being a single mother who waits until her kids are asleep to sit at the kitchen table, stressing over how she is going to cover her bills. Being the parents of a child with a chronic illness, struggling with the costs of healthcare as they face the most emotional and stressful situation any person could face. Being a young person, graduating high school and looking toward their future, wondering what our economy will look like in even just five years. Wondering if they should take on the massive burden of student debt, even though a college degree no longer guarantees anyone anything. Those things are hard, and those are the people I wanted to fight for.

My second goal was to continue to build upon and protect the gains our state had made in the previous few elections. Oklahoma has a lot of problems, but it is my home state. It is where I grew up and where I chose to raise my family. I was afraid that if no one stepped up to run in this seat, then our losses wouldn’t just come from allowing a terrible Senator to walk into re-election unopposed, they would also come from the possibility of missing out on like-minded voters who could vote on races up and down the ballot. 2020 will come with it many close elections in our state, and I did not want to risk the possibility of losing progress towards a better future for Oklahoma.

After long and thoughtful consideration, I have determined that the best way for us to achieve these goals is no longer through a continuation of my campaign to be Oklahoma’s next United States Senator. This is not a decision that I took lightly, but it is one that I believe is ultimately in the best interests of Oklahoma and our chances of ensuring that Jim Inhofe is no longer our Senator after 2020. To defeat an incumbent such as Inhofe, I believe we need to coalesce around a single candidate now, rather than splitting our resources and pitting them against each other in a tough primary campaign. So, today I am asking all of my supporters to please consider supporting Abby Broyles in her campaign to defeat Senator Inhofe.

For the past twenty-five years, our current senator has used his office as a means to benefit himself. He has refused to stand up for the people of Oklahoma, instead choosing to stand the party line and protect special interests. He has used his office to deny science on behalf of corporations. He has actively tried to deny people their civil liberties because of who they love, even going so far as to support a law in another country that would criminally prosecute such relationships. He has supported a corrupt system of government that has enriched a few and has ignored the blatant wrongdoings of high-level government officials, so long as they are members of his party. For the past twenty-five years, our current senator has hidden behind the letter (the R) behind his name, believing that it would grant him a free pass to re-election.

Oklahomans deserve a senator who will fight for their economic security and to increase their wages. A senator who will fight to ensure economic stability through investments in human capital; such as strengthening our vocational schools that teach job skills and trades that are not outsourceable and are necessary for many of the good-paying jobs that employers are currently looking to fill. A senator who will vote to restructure a tax code that increasingly favors those with the most and gives corporations little incentive to increase worker’s salaries since they can just hoard the wealth for themselves without penalty. A senator who will fight to ensure that every employee has the right to collectively bargain and unionize, evening the balance of power between worker and employer.

Oklahomans deserve a senator who will fight night and day to lower the cost of healthcare. There is no question about, Americans will never see healthcare prices go down unless every single man, woman, and child in our nation has adequate coverage, and we must fight to make sure that this happens. Cost should never be a barrier to an American receiving the care they need, and we should not live in a society where a family fears going into bankruptcy because of their medical expenses. We must immediately lower drug prices by ending the system that sees Americans pay more so that residents in other countries pay less. This is easily achievable by allowing the American government to have the same ability to negotiate prices with drug companies that every one of our peer neighbors has.

Oklahomans deserve a senator who is committed to increasing the quality of our education system and to reducing the burden of student debt- giving our teachers the raise they deserve and funding our classrooms so that they can actually stay open five days a week. A senator who is committed to making sure our farmers can sell their products. A senator who is committed to making sure working families have access to the childcare they need. A senator who is committed to making sure we end the corrupt private prison system.

The people of Oklahoma deserve a senator who believes that climate change is real and that it is man-made and that if we do not act now there will not be a planet for our children and grandchildren. If we can’t even acknowledge the basic science behind climate change, how can we ever expect to find solutions that are sustainable for and work for Oklahomans?

Even though I am no longer asking you to vote for me in this election, my goals and desires remain the same. I believe that Oklahoma deserves better, and I will continue to do my part to see to it that it happens. The past few months have been absolutely amazing. I have met so many great people across our state, and I have nothing but hope for our future because of it.

Thank you to everyone who supported me on this journey. Our fight for Oklahoma does not end today, and I look forward to the future of our state.