What can I say that hasn’t already been said since Wednesday morning? l feel like my jaw has unclenched for the first time in years. I don’t think I realized the amount of tension I was holding in my body, and how bad my cynicism had become.

When I saw Amanda Janoo speak in person for the first time a few weeks ago, I thanked her for reminding me what it felt like to have hope. We hugged. I cried. Even though Amanda lost to Republican Phil Scott in the Vermont Governor’s race, she came closer than anyone thought remotely possible. Phil Scott is the most popular Governor in America (it makes no sense, but I digress). Amanda Janoo was a literal unknown. No name recognition, no political experience, and no big money donors, and yet she inspired thousands of Vermonters to volunteer for her campaign. She got closer to beating Phil Scott than any other candidate since he was elected a decade ago.

That story played out all over the country. The historic wins didn’t come out of nowhere. They happened because millions of Americans showed up, and came together behind candidates with a better vision for the future. Yes it was a repudiation of the Trump administration, but it was also a belief that things can change, and we have the power to do it.

For too long the future has been something that filled me with dread. But as Amanda noted after her loss, “the future isn't something that just happens to us. It's something we create.”

As a newly elected Justice of the Peace in Vermont, I look forward to working the polls in our next presidential election in 2028 (and at Town Meeting before then). The work isn’t over. We’re just getting started. The future has never looked brighter. I can’t wait to see what we can do.