To the Jill Derby Campaign,

I know these must be hard times for you right now. You fought a great fight, only to come up a little short in your bid to defeat Dean Heller for Nevada's 2nd district congressional seat.

It's probably disheartening to look out at the rest of the country catching the Democratic wave, watching as Nevada is seemingly being bypassed.

You may not have won, but your efforts helped turned the political seas from red to blue.

If you had not run such a great campaign, Heller would not have had President Bush come into the district -- twice -- to raise money for him. That was money that could have gone to George Allen in Virginia, or Jim Talent in Missouri. That money could very well have been the difference that made Harry Reid the Majority Leader.

You kept the heat on, and forced Republicans to pay attention to this district. Your moderate, bipartisan message had real appeal here in Nevada. You kept them on defense, allowing other Democrats to push ahead and win.

They don't give out prizes for second place in politics, but all of you sure do deserve one. Thanks for helping change the world.