WASHINGTON –  DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile issued the following statement:
 
“We want to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump for his apparent Electoral College victory last night. Although the outcome was not what we had hoped for, we take solace in the fact that more Democrats turned out to vote than Republicans. By nominating the first female candidate for the presidency in our history, we have sent a resounding message to the world – that our march toward true equality has not ceased, and that the heights to which women and girls in our nation can aspire will not be bound by our past.
 
“Through a long and bruising campaign, Hillary Clinton never wavered from her belief that we are stronger together, and that we must choose hope over fear, and unity over division. We commend Clinton, her campaign team, and the many Democratic staffers and volunteers who contributed to this historic campaign, and we congratulate the hundreds of Democratic candidates across the country whose races have come to a close. It takes true courage to run for public office, and regardless of the outcome of each race, these candidates deserve our praise for stepping into the ring.
 
“We also want to congratulate those Democratic candidates whom voters carried to victory up and down the ballot across the country – Democrats like Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a veteran of the Iraq war who has already sacrificed so much in service to our country, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, who has now torn down the Senate color barrier that has stood in California since its founding, Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina ever elected to the Senate, and Maggie Hassan, the next Senator from New Hampshire. These Democrats will bring their enthusiasm, intelligence and dedication to our nation’s Capital, and keep fighting the good fight in the coming years.
 
“We stood together in this election, united around the most progressive platform in our Party’s history – dedicated to raising wages; combatting student debt; ensuring Wall Street and billionaires pay their fair share; tackling climate change; fixing our broken immigration system; achieving equal pay for women; reforming our criminal justice system; expanding access to the ballot; reducing the influence of money in our democracy; investing in our children and families; and standing up against bigotry and hatred.
  
“While we are deeply disappointed by the overall results of the election, we will continue fighting for those policies that we hold dear.  We urge President-elect Trump to put the divisive rhetoric that guided his campaign aside and stick to the pledge he laid out in his victory speech last night to unite the country. After this fierce campaign, now is the time for leaders from both parties to strive in good-faith to bridge our deep political divides, and work together in service to our one United States of America.”