Thank you to everyone on the Goodwin Team in my campaign for NC Insurance Commissioner!

Mere words cannot fully express my deep felt appreciation for your vital efforts in my Insurance Commissioner campaign!

In a very short period of time we were able to stress how the 2008 Democratic Primary was a stark choice between polar opposite candidates. I am:

- the candidate who will work day in and day out to maintain the legacy of Jim Long ... always striving to protect the consumer while ensuring a competitive insurance market that allows insurance companies a reasonable profit.

- the candidate with proven experience leading within the Department of Insurance and with extensive experience as a State-level elected official.

- the candidate who understands that the Insurance Commissioner and the Department have a special relationship with the State's 44,000 fire and rescue personnel.

And,

- the candidate who has clean hands, truly independent and free from the insurance industry and other special interests.

And with your personal role in my campaign, we were able to get out that message above and win 56% of the Statewide vote!

By all accounts, we surprised folks with the depth, breadth, and diversity of not only the endorsements of this campaign but, more importantly, of our campaign team. This campaign team was very blessed to have many, many persons chipping in to post signs, speak as surrogates, deliver materials, coordinate multiple mailings, and successfully conduct a multitude of in-person meetings with key leaders in the State.

With your help I was also able to surpass the mandatory minimum thresholds for public financing – both by comfortable buffers or margins. Given the short period of time between when I learned of my candidacy and the May 6th election, I was joyfully amazed with the sheer volume of work so many of you did to interest folks in making "qualifying" contributions pursuant the pilot public financing program. It was no easy task, but with every one doing their part this campaign was the first to meet the thresholds.

I could go on further, but do know this: Working together, we will duplicate our success in the November election and prove to the State that our best years are still yet to come.

Again, thank you for everything you did to make our team's victory happen!

- Wayne

P.S. I would have posted very late on Election Night or even yesterday, but my obligation to take care of my 5-day-old newborn son, Jackson Wade Goodwin, and my wife, Melanie, took highest priority. I'm sure you understand! Attached to this message are two photos of North Carolina's newest Democrat (and one not-so-new Democrat)! ... I hope that everyone who checked in here at "Wayne's World" - a massive, record number for hits to this site, by the way - will have the opportunity to check back in for this post of appreciation.