We are down to hours instead of months, weeks and days. Tomorrow is the final day Americans have to speak out. After the polls close tomorrow, we will know who we are as a nation. I want to tell you my personal election journey.

This has been the most exhausting and disturbing election cycle of my life. I know I am not alone with this. It's been a campaign filled with obscenity and faux scandals instead of policy and thoughtful discussion. That's been a terrible disservice to all of us as Americans.

I came into this with my feet firmly planted behind former Governor Martin O'Malley. I still support him and his policies and hope to see him serving our country in one fashion or another. After he dropped out of the race, I knew I would support one of the two remaining candidates. My choices were SoS Clinton or Senator Sanders.

Now I will be honest with you, I wasn't really happy. It felt like 2000 all over again. I supported Senator Bill Bradley, but it was vice-president Al Gore who got the nomination. I couldn't stand his running mate, Senator Lieberman. I still voted for Gore. I felt the platform - what the party stands for - was important. I wanted to see the policies of a [Bill]Clinton administration continued. It wasn't meant to be.

In 2008 I supported John Edwards (I apologize) He dropped out, and - much like this year - I would support one of the remaining candidates... "vote blue, no matter who", as they say. As that race continued, I found myself becoming much more enthusiastic about then-senator Obama. It was an honor to vote for him twice.

Getting back to our race today, as I said I was not enthused about either candidate. In spite of all of my friends' enthusiasm for either Sanders or Clinton, I honestly was not there. No matter what, one of these people would get my vote. By May earlier this year, I found myself having some misgivings about Sanders, and wrote about it. As someone once said regarding party politics: "fall in love during the primaries, fall in line on election day". No matter what - I would do just that.

On June 7, 2016, I fell in line (still not in love), when Hillary Clinton secured the nomination. She would soon announce her running mate. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. After doing some research, I was pretty happy with the choice. falling in line actually felt a little better to me. I joked at the time, sometimes you have to eat your broccoli. This election was that time and the stakes were too high knowing who the GOP would nominate. A few weeks ago, Oprah said it much better than me:



About 6 weeks later, something happened: The Democratic National Convention. After watching the toxicity of the RNC and after slogging through both party's primary races the DNC was like a breath of fresh air on a cool early summer morning. After deep and tough discussions between the DNC, Clinton, and Sanders, the Democratic Party would present the most progressive platform in recent history. To paraphrase our brilliant First Lady, When they went low, we went high.

There were the people at the convention, people I deeply admire. People like this:



And these people. All of them, From Joe Biden, to Michelle & Barak Obama to John Lewis -- the list can go on. It was spectacular. Then, on Wednesday night this happened:



Standing with our President was a woman I had not yet seen. She was the women that many ardent supports have seen all along. she was relaxed, joyful and most of all, our candidate. That moment, she also became MY candidate. I was there. I was finally there.

At that point, I really felt it. and ever since then, with all of the other news that has fallen out of the cable media, be it the the emails, Russia, the other party's candidate, I liked her and her policies more and more. The debates made my support of her increase threefold. It wasn't much different than this is some ways:



(ok it wasn't as dramatic as that) I really came to see that this woman is tough as nails and stronger than anyone I have seen run for this office. She makes me even more proud to be an American, a woman, and a Democrat.

Tomorrow, I vote. I will proudly and gladly vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton as our next President. I am not voting against someone. I did not fall in line. I gladly stand with her and what she will do to further the progress we are making for this great nation. Tomorrow I get to vote for her for a 6th time. Tha's right, she was my Senator and she was wonderful. After 16 years, I am so ready for her to be Madame President.



With and and standing strongly together we can get this done tomorrow. We are at the finish line.



Every. Damn.Time

Raine