Without the brave souls willing to run for office, there would be no democracy | PennLive Editorial

It takes a lot of courage to run for political office these days. It's a wonder why any good person would want to do it.

Candidates are attacked, verbally and sometimes physically, no matter the party or ideology. Witness what happened right here in Pennsylvania to Donald Trump.

Often, their families suffer. Witness what happened to Paul Pelosi inside his own home.

Even if those running for public office shake off the vitriol, many wind up in post-election debt after spending gobs of money, not to mention hours of their time yelling out speeches at campaign rallies and knocking on thousands of doors.

Politics has got to be a calling. It takes a special kind of person willing to work so hard and risk so much to serve the people. But without people willing to run for congress, senate, attorney general, and, yes, president, there would be no democracy. We owe them a tremendous debt.

After such a grueling political season, it's fitting to stop and thank the men and women who were on the ballot in the 2024 elections. All of them. It took courage. It took perseverance. It took sheer hard work to survive this election season. Without people willing to endure the utter misery of politics, there would be no America.

Running for office shouldn't be this hard, but it is.

Even the best voters may spend a few hours attending a political forum, reading PennLive stories and enduring endless TV commercials that intrude into their evenings weeks before the election. But when someone decides to run for office, it becomes their life. For better or worse, it becomes the life of anyone near and dear to them. It becomes the obsession of every staffer and volunteer who believes in their calling.

Without such dedication and passion, without the candidate's whole-hearted commitment to running the race, there would be no democracy. It takes a special kind of person. It is a calling.

As we celebrate the winners in the 2024 election, and we should, let's also pay tribute to all the men and women who braved the political head wins to step up and serve. Let's pay tribute to their families and to the teams of people who ran their campaigns, knocked on doors and battled the press to make sure their messages reached the voters.

In every election, there are winners and losers. The best candidates don't always win, and worthy people may not convince the voters. But in the final analysis, it's the voters who decide, for better or for worse.

The beauty of democracy is that voters have the power to undo mistakes in the next election.

But for the 2024 election, we congratulate those who eked out the most votes. And we salute every single candidate in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation who took the risk, stepped out on faith, and worked hard to help us see their vision for our state and for our nation.

As we celebrate those about to assume awesome responsibility and power, we send words of encouragement and comfort to those who lost. By simply stepping up to serve, they are now ranked among the leaders of our commonwealth and of our nation.

Without all of the noble men and women who ran the race of 2024, there would be no democracy. Without them, there would be no America.

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