Commentary: Thank you to those who helped me win office

I’m sitting in the airport and I have a few minutes before I need to catch my flight home from my first couple of days in Sacramento as an Assembly member-elect.

While I wait, I have been taking a few moments to reflect upon the past nine months and how incredibly blessed I have been by my family and friends who supported and believed in me while I was campaigning for assembly. There are so many people I am grateful to and need to thank for our victory — so here I go.

First and foremost, my family. My parents and sister are used to my political activities but this is new to my beautiful new wife, Elizabeth. Not only did she have to put up with me, she had to learn new terms such as micro-targeting, high-propensity voters and predictive analysis. She was there during the good days of the campaign and bad. She is my rock.

I want to thank my mom and dad for always being supportive, always being there for me, and for instilling in me the values of honesty, hard work, fiscal responsibility and fair play.

I will be forever grateful to my friend Edward Laird, who served as my campaign chairman. I owe so much to my supporters: Jeff Snow, Scott Maloni, Robert T. McCaffrey, Robert Mayer Jr., Howard Ahmanson Jr., Robert Wyland, Ken Khachigian, Jon Fleischman, Doug Swardstrom, Mike Schroeder, Dave Ellis, Dave Bartels, Mark Cohen, Cindy Ho, Lee Lowery, Alexandria Coronado, Elroy D’ Souza, Kurt English, Caryn and Michael Borland, Michele Townsend, Aaron Pai and many others.

I would like to thank Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) for endorsing me and trusting that I will carry on his tradition of common-sense conservative leadership and all of the other elected officials who endorsed me.

My campaign team was great. I want to thank my consultant, Scott Taylor, campaign manager Patricia Garrett, fundraisers Jason Pikin and Wendy Warfield, treasurer David Bauer, volunteer coordinator Kelly D’Souza, communications lab team Arianna Barrios and Justin Glover, survey researcher Paul Fallon, photographer Erin Nomura and her father Al, and printers Jim and Kellie Bieber.

I had some great organizations back me: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC, California Republican Assembly, Orange County Tea Party, Newport Beach Residents for Reform and Atlas PAC.

I would also like to acknowledge my opponent, Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry. Councilman Curry wrote me a very kind note of congratulations the day after the election. Keith and I had our differences on the campaign trail but those are behind us. Keith is a great husband and father and is a passionate advocate for making our state a better place to live.

Last, but not least, I owe thanks to the voters of the 74th Assembly District. My campaign theme was “Main Street Values.” To me those are the values my parents taught me: honest dealings, hard work, fiscal responsibility and fair play.

Before I ever cast a vote I give you my word that I will consider how it would affect the average voter in my district. The family who wants an outstanding public education for their children, the small business owner, the senior citizen on a fixed income and those who have fallen on hard times and need a helping hand.

I am truly honored by the trust that you have placed in me to represent you in our state capital. I promise that I will not to let you down.

MATT HARPER is the mayor of Huntington Beach and a state assemblyman-elect for a district that includes Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.