Suspension of Campaign

Tonight I am announcing that I am suspending my campaign for the Governorship of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  I want to thank all those who have been supportive of my campaign, especially those Virginians I have met since I announced my candidacy.  You have been a source of strength and encouragement to me to fight for the ideals that I feel so strongly about.

The issue that will confront us -- the issue of our generation -- is, I believe, climate change.  We must end our dependency on fossil fuels.  We must end our addiction to these fuels or they will destroy us.  There is technology that exists today -- solar, wind, and biofuels -- that are cleaner and healthier for our planet.  I was encouraged today when President Obama tackled the issue of climate change in his inaugural speech.  I hope that he will follow through on helping to start a massive program for the use of green energy at the federal level.

I hope and pray that whoever is elected to be the next Governor of the Commonwealth will have a sincere commitment to combating climate change on a state level.  There is so much that can be done through the technology that we have in our midst, and so much that can be done to incentivize the use of solar, wind and biofuels through the tax code, that it would be a moral travesty not to utilize these great resources.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has always been a leader among other states in our nation.  From its very beginning, the Commonwealth produced great leaders and leadership for our country, from Washington to Jefferson to Monroe.  Virginia can be and should be a leader and example to the rest of the nation and to the federal government in bringing about a green economy and combating climate change.

I leave this campaign with no bitterness toward any of my political opponents, and there is a strong likelihood that I will seek political office again in the not too distant future.  I will ensure that next time I set out to seek statewide office that I have the infrastructure to do so in terms of money and organization, something that I realized I do not have in sufficient quantity at this time.  I will continue to try to make a difference in the lives of others through my law practice, and I will carry the values that my mother instilled in me: that it may not be possible to change the whole world but you can change the little corner of the world that you touch.

God Bless,

Matt Famiglietti